LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN
New world and new generation of textiles! The textile world will witness two major events this April with less than one week in between: Proposte (Italy) and Evteks (Turkey). We will observe a great range of new products and trends in these shows mostly in contemporary fields as sustainability, innovation and value-added production. Sustainable living is an important trend in the modern world and it is becoming more and more of a concern in the 21st century, as the impacts of human production and waste are becoming inescapably apparent.
Sustainable textiles We put a lot of effort into our textiles. Across the world and throughout history, textiles have been the base of some of the most lucrative economies and networks of exchange in the world. Textiles are important, and it's not just because we need them to stay warm. We enjoy our textiles. But, we want to be able to feel good about our textiles. In accordance with that agenda, many people in the world are pushing for more sustainable textiles, or ethically produced fabrics. We may look good in our textiles, but we want to feel good about them too.
Changing trends in world textiles The value of world textile exports returned to growth in 2017 for the first time in two years with notable trends. According to the recently released World Trade Statistical Review 2018 from the 6
World Trade Organization (WTO), the current dollar value of world textiles (SITC 65) exports totaled 296.1 billion dollars in 2017, up 4.2% from a year earlier. This is the first time since 2015 that the value of world textile exports has seen growth.
Turkey’s contract textiles Turkey has developed an excellent industry in contract textiles in all areas including fabrics, drapery, hotel textiles, floor and wall coverings, etc. There are a lot of manufacturers in flame retardant textile production and exports. In midApril this year, some of these leading textile companies will be at International Observatory in Sheraton Lake in Cernobbio, Italy to display best examples of these contract textiles addressing mainly to European customers. And there will be more in EVTEKS, Istanbul, 23-27 April 2019. As seen on the table of WTO, Turkey ranks fourth in country-base owing this success to its adherence to innovative, trendy and value-added manufacturing approach to the industry.
Turkish contracting industry, a world brand Turkey is not only good at the textile industry in general and in contract textiles in particular but also in all related items and services of interior design. The country has all means to undertake gigantic international contracting projects. Turkey's unique geographical location
PINAR TAŞDELEN ENGİN
President, Uludag Textile Exporters’ Association
contributes a great deal to the global competitiveness of the Turkish contracting services abroad. Turkey’s strength in the field is not only due to its location, but also the cost effective service provided at international standards, high client satisfaction, credibility in partnerships, extensive knowledge and vast experience in a wide variety of projects, familiarity with the business environments in the neighboring regions, qualified manpower and a calculated risk-based approach to business. Turkish overseas contracting services sector is among the most sophisticated service sectors of Turkey with having undertaken 8.772 projects in 110 different countries with the value of 329,1 billion US Dollars since 1972. April/2019
