After two terms and nearly 10 years as president of Euratex, the European textile and apparel industry association, Alberto Paccanelli is stepping down. He is succeeded by Mario Jorge Machado, CEO of Adalberto Textile Solutions and president of the Portuguese textiles and apparel association (ATP) since 2019.

Machado, an engineer with a degree in polymer production, represents ATP within the Portuguese confederation of entrepreneurs (CIP), a business association where he also chairs the environment and sustainability council. As president of Euratex, Machado will be engaged in promoting strategic innovation and sustainability within the industry.

“The latest indicators show that the European [textile and apparel] industry is growing more slowly than its competitors. This is a situation we need to reverse,” said Machado, adding that “policy makers need to understand that the textile industry cannot be a bargaining chip in global negotiations. It is clear for all to see what the USA is doing to support its industry, and what China is doing to support its industry. Europe is lagging behind in industry support. My mandate at Euratex will be to promote an efficient and smart industrial strategy.”

Paccanelli has been named honorary president of Euratex. He was appointed president of the association in June 2019, having previously held the same role between January 2011 and December 2014. His second mandate was marked by the pandemic and its impact on the sector, but notably also by the multiple laws stemming from the new EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles, by skyrocketing energy costs following the invasion of Ukraine, and by the pressing need to create a European network for collecting, sorting and recycling end-of-life textiles.

Four new members were appointed to the Euratex leadership team: Michael Kamm (of Zwilling Gruppe) from Germany, Barbara Cimmino (of Yamamay) from Italy, Gregory Marchant (of UTT) from France, and Ismail Kolunsag (of Cross Tekstil) from Turkey.

Euratex represents 200,000 companies with 1.3 billion employees. Its mission is to lobby the EU institutions in Brussels on behalf of the European textile and apparel sector, whose exports are worth approximately €64 billion a year.

Euratex recently published a joint statement with CEC (the European footwear industry association), Cotance (the EU-wide association of tanners), and the European branch of international trade union IndustriALL, on the industry’s priorities for the next five years. Euratex and IndustriALL have also launched ‘Stitch Together’, a two-year social collaboration project promoting ethical partnerships in the industry.