The regulatory transformation facing the European textile industry demands more than just knowledge of the new obligations: it requires teams capable of interpreting them, applying them, and turning them into an opportunity to improve competitiveness. Our Head of Training, Anna Vidal, analyzes this challenge in an article published by the Consortium for the Continuing Education of Catalonia.
By Anna Vidal, Head of Training at Texfor – Confederation of the Textile Industry
Sustainability, digitalization, traceability, and the new European regulatory framework are profoundly changing the way textile companies operate. These changes affect product design and manufacturing, as well as data management, supplier relationships, waste management, and the end-of-life of materials.
This scenario places team training at the heart of the transformation. Regulations introduce new obligations, controls, and requirements, but they can also foster more efficient processes, better-informed decisions, and a stronger market position. To capitalize on this opportunity, companies need up-to-date knowledge directly relevant to their operations.
The Consorci per a la Formació Contínua de Catalunya has recently published the article "The new European regulation is driving a new training agenda in the textile sector", in which I address the skills that the sector will need to strengthen in order to respond to the changes coming from Europe.
The evolution towards a more traceable, circular, transparent and technologically advanced industry requires the incorporation of capabilities that can no longer be limited to a single department.
Companies will need to manage product technical information more precisely and provide documentation detailing the materials used, their origin, the processes followed, and the requirements met. At the same time, they will need to apply ecodesign criteria related to durability, recyclability, and circularity, as well as improve the management of textile waste and end-of-life products.
All of this will require closer coordination between production, quality, purchasing, sustainability, product development, and systems. Regulatory compliance thus ceases to be an isolated issue and becomes a cross-cutting responsibility that affects the entire organization.
The future of the industry depends not only on bringing in new talent. It also requires updating the skills of those already working in companies who know their processes, products, and markets.
This challenge is especially significant for SMEs. In many cases, new positions with new titles will not be created; instead, current professionals will need to expand their knowledge, take on additional responsibilities, and collaborate with other areas of the company.
Quality managers will need to have a better grasp of traceability and documentation; product teams will need to incorporate ecodesign criteria; purchasing will have to more accurately assess the risks and requirements associated with suppliers; and sustainability departments will need to translate corporate commitments into daily operations.
Internal training, therefore, becomes part of the business strategy. Anticipating needs will reduce errors, expedite adaptation to new requirements, and enable a more effective response to clients, government agencies, and other stakeholders in the value chain.
Training doesn't mean accumulating theory or increasing the number of courses without a defined objective. It means offering tools that help solve specific business needs and make better decisions.
Areas that will gain importance include traceability, product data management, the circular economy, regulatory compliance, technical interpretation of European requirements, sustainability applied to business, process digitization, and interdepartmental coordination.
The challenge is not only to train more people, but to design training that is useful, up-to-date and adapted to the reality of the textile industry.
Investing in knowledge also helps attract and retain talent. An industry that evolves, professionalizes, and trains its teams projects an image more faithful to the modern textile industry: an advanced, specialized sector with the capacity to offer professional development.
The industry needs expertise and experience, but also technical judgment, a cross-functional perspective, adaptability, and continuous learning. Therefore, addressing European regulations without incorporating training would leave the business response incomplete.
The goal is not only to comply with upcoming regulations, but also to leverage the process to strengthen organizations, update skills, and compete more effectively. This transformation begins before any obligation becomes enforceable: it starts when a company decides to prepare its teams for the future.
Consult the article published by the Consorci per a la Formació Contínua de Catalunya:
The new European regulation is driving a new training agenda in the textile industry