The organic textile market - Italy

1.1 Definition and presentation

Organic or organic fabric is a fabric made from fibers sourced from organic farming, woven and then refined, by a process that uses a limited number of harmful substances or pollutants. The most commonly used traditional organic fibers are cotton, wool, linen and hemp from organic farming and ranching. The three main activities of the organic textile industry are yarn production, fabric production, and fabric processing (e.g., dyeing).

The organic textile market is growing steadily and seems to have a bright future ahead thanks to the awareness of consumers and professionals of the health hazards and their impact on the environment of "conventional" textiles. This market is young but very dynamic, as evidenced by the growing number of hectares of organically farmed land around the world. The global biotextiles market was valued at $5.5 billion in 2018 and will reach $8.3 billion by the end of 2025, with a growth rate of 5.3 percent during 2019-2025 [IndustryResearch].

The bio-based textiles sector had a weight of 2.7 percent on the Italian bioeconomy, in 2021. The potential of the Italian bio textiles market depends heavily on the emergence of the health mindset among Italians, which is already driving markets such as food, cosmetics and FMCGs. The main uses of organic textiles are clothing, technical textiles and other textiles (household linens, tarpaulins and other textile surfaces).

The greatest difficulty for the many market players in Italy remains the need to obtain organic certifications and to juggle innovative solutions to differentiate themselves from competitors.