Over the past few years, I’ve observed a significant transformation in my lifestyle. Especially when it comes to fashion and healthy living, I’ve started to make more conscious and sustainable choices. I’ve embraced a lifestyle closely intertwined with technology, which has made both my personal care and daily routine more efficient and stylish.
What Are We Doing Wrong?
Even those outside the industry are well aware of how much has been invested in the textile sector in Türkiye over the years from ready-to-wear and fabrics to leather exports, employment rates, and the sector’s critical importance for Türkiye’s future. Major investments, our advanced machinery, skilled workforce, and practical intelligence have all played a crucial role in bringing us to this point.
I don’t intend to repeat statistics or facts that we already know or can easily find with a quick online search.
What feels more realistic to me is to talk about how the textile sector in Türkiye can progress beyond its current state, what we should or shouldn’t be doing to achieve that, why we’ve fallen behind in producing value added products and in the branding process, and why we tend to demonstrate our quick thinking, work ethic, and problem solving only in short bursts of momentum failing to implement them through systematic planning and sustainable principles.
When we look at many of the leading companies in the industry, we often see that they are still operating with outdated production and management methods. They struggle to internalize and adapt to technological advancements and the changing demands of our age. They often neglect to provide the necessary training support to improve employee awareness and efficiency, resulting in a lack of motivation. They delay investing in R&D and product development. In such a setup, achievements often remain individual and coincidental, rather than evolving into structured, institutionalized, and sustainable success.
So where is the global textile industry headed, while things remain like this in Türkiye? Why is this thing called “innovation” so important? Where do we stand in terms of innovative efforts as Türkiye, and what can we expect over the next ten years?
Let’s take a closer look.
There are common global dynamics at play: consumer demands are constantly shifting; sustainability has become a highly topical issue discussed in nearly every setting; and rising costs and competition have pushed price based competition aside in favor of quality driven strategies. The global issues of depleting natural resources and environmental protection are compelling the textile industry to act more responsibly especially in terms of waste production and consumption of natural resources, notably water.
With the European Green Deal of 2019 and its 17 core principles, the regulations around these issues are now more strictly monitored, and the targets set for the next 10–20 years are crystal clear. This pressures textile producers to focus on creating more functional fabrics, maximizing the use of recycled materials, or developing next-generation raw materials that are biodegradable and require no recycling at all.
Even trendsetters have begun to advocate for longer lifecycle color trends rather than seasonal ones, urging a shift from fast fashion to slow fashion, and designing products from recovered waste to help reduce landfills. In doing so, they are trying to reshape the conventional perception of fashion and guide both producers and consumers toward more responsible behavior.
Nature’s silent cries, which have echoed for centuries, have now transformed into loud warnings manifesting as bizarre weather phenomena, climate changes, frequent and intense natural disasters, and the decreasing fertility of the soil. Since we’ve delayed the steps needed to reach net-zero carbon emissions, the next era must be navigated not by contemplation, but by acceleration.
How Can Innovation be Achieved in The Textile Industry?
By developing smart textiles that are sensitive to climate and environmental changes, offer user advantages, regulate heat and moisture balance, and can generate or benefit from energy (such as temperature and humidity responsive products for athletes, or garments that can measure body temperature and heart rate)
By integrating nanotechnology products that add extra features to textiles, making them more durable, more functional, and more hygienic (such as self-cleaning curtains powered by solar energy, anti-allergenic and stress relieving mattress fabrics, water- and stain-repellent textiles, and UV-protective materials)
By producing sustainable textile raw materials and biotechnology products from recycled or biodegradable sources (such as fabrics made from mushrooms and algae, repeatedly recyclable fibers like hemp, and certified regenerated fibers that require fewer chemicals)
By focusing on technical textiles for special purposes (such as military camouflage, vehicle surface coatings, or medical products like artificial heart valves)
By adopting production methods that minimize the consumption of natural resources, manage water stress effectively, use green energy, and operate with minimal chemicals or in closed-loop production systems (such as factories using solar energy, recycling their wastewater, operating with waterless machines, and reusing separated chemicals)
By utilizing AI-supported, autonomous production systems that rely on software and data management to minimize errors and maximize efficiency (including AI software, autonomous systems, quality control robots, and data management platforms)
By producing personalized products and digital manufacturing methods that are based on accurate user analysis, tailored to the target audience’s dynamics, offer a balance of price and performance, and are suitable for long term use
By building a workforce of conscious and well educated employees, advanced testing laboratories, and platforms that allow the industry to follow global developments and access relevant information
We will only be able to keep pace with the world’s progress when we start planning and producing such products, when we value the branding process, when we shift from a subcontracting mentality to an “innovative productivity and R&D” mindset, when we design and launch high value-added products, and when we finally start giving design and designers the recognition they deserve. Only then will we truly understand that designing is far superior to copying.
To achieve this kind of innovation, we must recognize the importance of textile engineers, textile designers, vocational textile school graduates, industrial and business engineers, mechanical engineers, and many other professions. And above all, we must face the reality that progress in the textile sector will only come through a multidisciplinary approach and strong collaboration between all these fields.
Just like the holistic approach that has proven successful in the field of medicine, we must learn to address problems in the textile sector by identifying and eliminating root causes before issues arise. We need to look at the entire process holistically not by covering up issues or patching them with temporary fixes, but through fundamental changes and improvements that invest in both technology and people.
For Türkiye’s success in the textile industry to grow exponentially, we need cooperation from all employers, institutions, and employees within the sector. Education is vital at every level. At DidemBaykalAKADEMİ, we strive to be a bridge between educational institutions and the industry, and we are continuously evolving to meet the textile sector’s educational needs. As employers and workers in Türkiye’s textile industry, I hope we will address our shortcomings and reach 2050 as a country that truly stands out.