European Union

Europe’s hemp story has shifted from policy to performance. Farmers can now grow and process fibre, yet consistent buyers remain scarce. Between luxury weavers, mass-market converters and new industrial users, the market is searching for direction. Its future will depend on whether certification and diversification can turn enthusiasm into genuine, recurring demand.

Europe’s hemp boom has filled fields but left factories waiting. The region now grows tens of thousands of hectares of fibre crops, yet only a handful of facilities can refine them for textiles. Hemp’s challenge is no longer agronomy but engineering — how to build the machinery, skills, and scale that make a crop an industry.

Across Western Europe, fields of hemp are re-appearing beside the region’s long-trusted flax, but technical familiarity has yet to catch up with acreage. Farmers possess the land, machinery, and ambition—yet remain unsure how to turn stalks into stable income. For now, cultivation outpaces coordination, leaving Europe’s textile revival rooted more in hope than experience.

EU policy for textiles is no longer optional, niche, or abstract. It will define the new normal for how businesses design, produce, and sell in Europe. The real test is whether companies stay stuck in debates about bürokratiemonster and broad concepts like circularity, or whether they seize this moment to turn legislation into leadership.

Counterfeit fashion has grown into a multitrillion-dollar menace, eroding brand equity, exploiting labour, and endangering consumers. Regulators have struggled to keep pace, leaving loopholes wide open. Now, a partnership between SMX and CETI in Lille seeks a systemic shift: embedding proof directly into textiles, turning Europe’s compliance drive into global leadership.

ReHubs has announced a comprehensive strategy to industrialise textile circularity across Europe by 2032, establishing systematic coordination between recyclers, manufacturers, and brands. The alliance plans to mobilise substantial investment through integrated supply chain management and strategic financing orchestration across European markets.

A revised proposal to restrict per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has been submitted to ECHA by authorities in Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. It follows extensive consultation and now undergoes detailed scientific scrutiny. The revised background document will guide ECHA’s committees in evaluating health, environmental and socio-economic implications before they prepare opinions for the European Commission.

Circula-TEX, a new EU-funded project under Horizon Europe, aims to harmonise textile waste management across Member States by developing unified Extended Producer Responsibility schemes and circular innovations. With 19 partners from nine countries, the four-year initiative will create scalable solutions.

Branded clothing retail generated €331.8 billion in economic activity and supported 4.5 million jobs across the EU27 in 2023, representing around 2% of both GDP and employment. Commissioned by the European Branded Clothing Association, the Oxford Economics study highlights the sector’s extensive impact through local supply chains, retail operations, and global trade engagement.

At EU Green Week 2025, leaders reaffirmed that circular economy is not just green policy—it’s Europe’s competitive strategy. From the upcoming Circular Economy Act to fast fashion regulations, the EU aims to reduce resource dependency, boost innovation, and scale circular systems. Now, the focus shifts from ambition to implementation.