Turkish Sustainable Fashion Industry Aims for a $22B Profit

Burak Sertbaş is the President of the Aegean Ready-Made Clothing and Apparel Exporters' Association (EHKİB). He announced the 2022 targets at the press conference while evaluating the 4-year process. "In 2022, Turkey-wide ready-made clothing exports will be realized at the level of $22 billion. And as EHKİB, I predict that our exports will reach the level of $1.6 billion."

The Turkish ready-to-wear and apparel industry reached the level of 20 billion $250 million in exports for the first time in 2021. It had a foreign trade surplus of $18 billion. Aegean Ready-to-Wear and Apparel Exporters' Association contributed $1.5 billion to Turkey's exports in 2021.

Burak Sertbaş, President of the Aegean Ready-to-Wear and Apparel Exporters' Association, EHKİB Vice Presidents Seray Seyfeli and Toygar Narbay were present. They shared their evaluation of 2021, predictions and projects for 2022 with the Izmir economy press and the public. Sertbaş said that in 2022, Turkey's overall ready-made clothing exports would reach $22 billion. EHKİB predicts that exports will reach $1.6 billion.

18% Increase Compared to the Previous Year

Turkey's ready-made clothing exports reached $20.2 billion in 2021 with an increase of 18% compared to the previous year, according to Sertbaş. The top 5 countries to which Turkey exported the most are Spain, Germany, England, the Netherlands, and the USA. He continued. “With our solid sustainable infrastructure, our investments in cleaner production and our advantage of proximity to Europe, I predict that our ready-made clothing exports will reach $22 billion in 2022 and that our exports will be $1.6 billion as EHKİB.”

The Occupancy Rate of Textile Engineering Increased to 83%

Aegean Ready-to-Wear and Apparel Exporters' Association Vice President Toygar Narbay also spoke on the matter. He said that they were carrying out a project to introduce the textile engineering department to high school students.

A total of 230 students who chose the textile engineering department within the scope of the project and ranked in the first 80 thousand were entitled to receive scholarships, including this year. 16% of the students studying in the textile engineering department have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience by starting their business life before they graduate. While the occupancy rate of the textile engineering department was 42% before the project, this rate is now 83%.

Sustainability Drives the Future of Turkish Fashion

According to the Istanbul Apparel Exporters' Association (IHKIB), Turkey is the world's sixth-largest provider of apparel, with exports worth more than $17 billion in 2020. However, the association believes that the future success of the sector will not be determined by mere volume. Indeed, as more apparel is produced, manufacturers must continue to adjust their technical and manufacturing infrastructure in a more sustainable manner if they want to thrive.

Turkish manufacturers are keeping a close watch on the changing global agenda and developing action plans in response to the shifts. Mustafa Gültepe, the head of IHKIB, spoke on the matter. According to him, the Turkish garment industry's current and future strategies are fully addressing and further aligning the global apparel value chain's sustainability issues.

Turkish companies are focused on several areas where they may improve the process. Water treatment, energy reduction, and the de-emphasis of dyes are crucial when it comes to making clothes more sustainably.

Mehmet Kaya, an IHKIB board member, stressed the importance of a "partner chain" within the Turkish garment industry. A typical supply chain encourages manufacturers to assume complete responsibility for customer satisfaction with the product.

This partner chain mentality is even more vital for sustainability. Because it ensures that all stakeholders understand their role in delivering responsibly manufactured clothes to the consumer. This includes worker safety and labor compliance, which are tragically neglected in many parts of the world, notably in factories.

Digitization is a popular topic of conversation when it comes to the apparel supply chain. However, it must be linked to sustainability in order to succeed. "A few years ago, sustainability was nice to have. But now it is a ‘must' rather than an option. Without technology, it is impossible to track and control sustainability," Kaya noted.

Turkey’s Unrivaled Exporter of Whole Goods

Turkey continues to prove itself in exports, develops, and changes. Likewise, Turkish Goods remains to be a trustworthy exporter, providing a variety of products.

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Turkey's constantly expanding ready-made clothing sector has been attracting importers' attention from all over the world. High-quality clothes in many different categories are being manufactured in Turkey each day. You can import the best quality clothes from Turkey by contacting Turkish Goods.

By working closely with manufacturers and suppliers, Turkish Goods can easily find the exact product you are looking for. Turkish Goods also gives the best price offer you can find in the sector and takes care of the entire import process. If you want to easily import clothes from Turkey, you can get in touch with Turkish Goods.