the organic textile market | France

1.1 Presentation and definition of the market

Organic or biological textiles are textile made from organically grown fibres These are woven and then ennobled by a process that uses a limited number of harmful or polluting substances. The the most commonly used traditional organic fibres are cotton, wool, linen and hemp from organic farming and breeding

The three main activities of the organic textile industry are the production of yarns, the production of fabrics and the processing of fabrics (dyeing...).

The organic textile market continues to grow and seems to have a bright future ahead of it due to the awareness of consumers and professionals of the dangers of "conventional" textiles for health and their impact on the environment. This market is young but very dynamic as shown by the increasing number of hectares of land under organic farming in the world.

The main uses of organic textiles are clothing, technical textiles and other textiles (household linen, tarpaulins and other textile surfaces, etc.). The distribution of organic textiles differs little from the conventional textile model.

There are many players in the market:

• Producers of organic raw materials from agriculture or breeding.
• Producers of plant and animal fibres used to create textiles.
• Artisans and industrialists transforming textiles (weaving, assembly and finishing of textiles).
• Companies using textiles as a semi-finished product.
• Distributors and retailers selling assembled textiles (ready-to-wear, haberdashery).
• Regulatory and product certification bodies.