During the week of November 25-29, Catalonia became one of the European epicenters of green innovation applied to textilesBarcelona and Canet de Mar hosted an intense work agenda within the framework of the European project GreenSmartMEDThis event, which for the first time has brought together textile companies, representatives from the forestry sector, technology centers, universities and public administration from various Mediterranean countries to address a shared challenge: how to accelerate the deployment of new regenerated and bio-based fibers and move towards a more circular and competitive textile model.
The conference, coordinated by Texfor – Confederation of the Textile Industry And the Eurecat technology center combined company visits, consortium meetings, and a transnational capacity-building event. Beyond the formal program, the added value was clear: building trust, sharing experiences among peers, and forging new alliances between the forest and the Mediterranean textile industry.
How to summarize David Allo, Head of Sustainability at Texfor, “The future of regenerated fibers in the Mediterranean depends on bringing the forest and the loom to the same table and building a common language that allows us to identify real opportunities for the industry.”.
At the end of the week, participants agreed on three key ideas that will shape the roadmap for the coming years:
The development of cellulosic fibers and other bio-based materials can no longer be understood without close coordination between forest management, the wood and paper industry, and the textile value chain. This relationship opens up new opportunities, but also raises very specific issues: generational renewal, talent acquisition, international competitiveness, and waste reduction throughout the entire product lifecycle.
For many Mediterranean SMEs and micro-enterprises, the green transition will only be possible if innovation is implemented on a practical level. During the sessions, the importance of pilot infrastructures, collaborative projects, and technical support was emphasized, as well as the need to find markets that value this innovative effort.
The combination of a strong industrial fabric, technology centers such as Eurecat, business ecosystems driven by Texfor and public policies geared towards smart specialization put Catalonia in a privileged position to test new solutions and scale up circular economy projects applied to textiles.
The agenda began with a visit to the Catalan company FolgarolasA boutique weaving workshop opened its doors to European partners of GreenSmartMED and companies from the Circular Economy and Bio-based Ecosystem by Texfor 2025. The dialogue between Catalan and Italian companies allowed for a comparison of experiences on textile recycling, new bio-based raw materials, and circular product design.
The next day, The historic Silk House of Barcelona hosted the consortium's follow-up meeting, which focused on sharing progress. and prepare for the next milestones. The session concluded with a virtual reality demonstration of prototypes that won the Catalonia Ecodesign Award, including textile developments that show how design can reduce environmental impact from the very beginning of the supply chain.
The highlight of the week was the capacity building meeting held at the Eurecat facilities in Canet de Mar, entitled “Fostering Green Innovation throughout Circular Opportunities: the union between the Forestry and Textile sectors”.
The morning session combined presentations on Catalonia's smart specialization strategy, the state of the forestry sector, and innovation opportunities in regenerated and bio-based artificial fibers. Among the initiatives presented, the project stood out. TEXWOODS from Eurecat, which explores how to use forest resources to generate new value-added materials.
Texfor provided an updated overview of the textile sector and The panel analyzed the economic and technological challenges and opportunities associated with the green transition. Representatives from various sectors participated in the discussion. Eurecat, The Generalitat de Catalunya, The University of Lleida (UdL), textile companies and the company IN THIS, which presented its commitment to cotton recycling at its pilot plant in Galicia to obtain bio-based artificial fibers.
In the afternoon, a technical visit to Eurecat's artificial fiber pilot plant allowed companies to learn firsthand about advanced technologies that will facilitate the development of new bio-based fibers and more circular processes throughout the value chain.
With this week of work in Catalonia, GreenSmartMED takes a step forward in building a Mediterranean ecosystem in which the textile industry, the forestry sector, research centers and administration collaborate to promote circular economy solutions, decarbonization and efficient use of resources.
Texfor, as the representative of the Spanish textile industry and coordinator of various business ecosystems, will continue to promote projects and alliances that help companies anticipate regulatory changes, access new technologies, and consolidate business models based on sustainability. This roadmap calls for the forest and the loom to work ever more closely together.