Last year EURATEX, the umbrella organisation of the European Textile and Apparel Industry, has created the European Technology Platform for the future of textile and apparel industries.

The aim of this platform is the development and implementation of sustainable visions for the industry and a strategic research agenda (SRA) for improvement of innovation, competitiveness and growth potential of this industrial key sector of Europe. During the last 12 months more than 400 experts worked on the formulation of the SRA. The main innovations and decisive research fields were combined in three thematic areas:

• conversion from standardised products to special products by flexible high-tec-processes for the entire fibre-textile-apparel-chain
  1. Novel special fibres and composite fibres for innovative textile products
  2. Functionalisation of textile materials and related processes
  3. Biomaterials and biotechnologies as well as environmental kindly processes
  
  
• Establishment and extension of textiles as a material for many industrial branches and new application fields
  4. New textile products for human applications (medicine, safety, sports)
  5. New textile products for technical applications (transport, construction industry,     geotextiles)
  6. Smart textiles and clothing
  
  
• End of the era of mass production of textile products and reorientation directed to a new industrial era of customer tailored and personalised products with intelligent production, logistics, distribution and services.
  
  7. Mass Customization für Mode und Bekleidung (Produktionstechnologien, Supply     Chain Management, Logistik)
  8. Concepts and technologies for a new design
  9. Comprehensive concepts for Life-Cycle-Management and quality assurance

• New speciality fibres and fibre-composites for innovative textile products
• Functionalisation of textile materials & related processes