Following the publication of the Horizon Europe Work Programmes 2026-7 late last year, and our TEPPIES 2026, we are launching our 2027 TEPPIES brokerage activities!

To provide our members with first-hand insights into cutting-edge research, technologies, and sustainable innovations, we launched ‘Textile ETP on Tour’, an exclusive members-only initiative designed to showcase pioneering developments in textile science and technology. For the fifth edition on 28 May 2026, we visited Enschede, in the Netherlands, a town that was one of the largest textile producing cities in Europe until the late 1960s.

The 20th edition of the Textile ETP Annual Conference took place in Amsterdam, Netherlands, welcoming over 150 professionals from the entire textile value chain. Against a backdrop of accelerating digitalisation, evolving European policy, and mounting pressure to demonstrate environmental progress, the conference offered a platform for strategic reflection, open dialogue, and collaboration.

On 26 May 2026, Textile ETP’s DigitX Innovation Hub published its strategic roadmap for the digital transformation of Europe's textile and apparel industry. Developed collaboratively by more than 100 industry experts from the DigitX Innovation Hub over six months, The Digital Transformation of the European Textile and Apparel Industry sets out a comprehensive plan to help European textile businesses become fit for the digital future

On 12 April 2026, Textile ETP Secretarty General Lutz Walter attended the final event of the TEX@CT project in Porto, Portugal. As part of a small team of international evaluators, Lutz participated in a panel discussion where he highlighted the unique position of the integrated Portuguese textile-fashion cluster to implement such comprehensive digital innovation programme.

Textile ETP made the most of Techtextil-Texprocess 2026 with five guided innovation hub tours across both shows, a landmark presentation of the first SmartX strategy document on the future of EU technical textiles in defence, aerospace and protection, and a week of exchanges that bring industry reality and European funding opportunity into closer conversation.

On 14 April 2026, our Secretary General Lutz Walter participated in Pulp & Beyond, where he gave a keynote speech about the biobased fibre innovation opportunities in the EU textile market, highlighting that fossil-based fibres still account for 69% of global fibre production, and why a phase-out will be a long but necessary process.

To provide our members with first-hand insights into cutting-edge research, technologies, and sustainable innovations, we launched ‘Textile ETP on Tour’, an exclusive members-only initiative designed to showcase pioneering developments in textile science and technology. For the fourth edition on 23-24 March 2026, we visited the Lombardy region, in Italy, a premier European hub for technical textiles, blending 150 years of industrial tradition with advanced research in materials and sustainability.

On 13 March 2026, Textile ETP Sustainability Programmes Manager Tilla Kross took the stage at the VERDEinMED final event in Thessaloniki, Greece, highlighting the ongoing work within the ECOSYSTEX, and outlining the core objectives of the PESCO-UP project.

Save the date for the fourth ECOSYSTEX Conference will take place as a physical event on 22-24 September in Antwerp, Belgium, in partnership with the University of Antwerp. This event will bring together experts, innovators, and industry leaders to explore circular textiles beyond recycling.

Registrations for the 20th Textile ETP Annual Conference 2026, taking place on 26-28 May in Amsterdam and hosted by the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, are now open! This year, the conference will focus on the digital transformation of the European textile and apparel industry, a pivotal topic shaping the future of the sector.

On 10 February, our Secretary General Lutz Walter participated in the Data Spaces Symposium 2026 in Madrid, contributing to the discussion on how regulatory requirements and technical complexity can be turned from barriers into enablers for the textile industry, supporting the creation of trusted and scalable data spaces for supply chain transparency, sustainability reporting, product traceability and compliance with emerging EU legislation.