Textile finishing
Textile finishing
The "Textile finishing" product group:
- washes, bleaches, dyes, prints and coats several textile products (yarns, fibres, carpets, knitted goods, non-woven goods, garment goods etc.),
- makes them soil-resistant, shrink-proof, flame-retardant, etc.
The activity of textile finishing is either integrated into a textile mill or carried out by independent specialist suppliers (contract finishers). Via textile finishing, colour and additional functionality are added to a textile product.

Textile finishing companies are, by the nature of their operations, energy-intensive and thus more vulnerable to high energy prices.
Group activities
- Follow-up of relevant environmental legislation (e.g. sectoral discharge conditions for textile finishing, groundwater issues, water supply, etc.);
- Follow-up of European dossiers such as BREF textile, REACH, European Circular Economy, etc;
- General conditions for Belgian textile finishers;
- Networking activities.
Best available techniques
The 'BREF Textiles Industry' is the European reference document containing the best available techniques (BAT) for the textiles industry. In other words, this document describes the techniques (inc. emission limits) that textile companies should apply to reduce their environmental impact. Therefore, the BREF Textiles Industry is the reference document for the government in assessing the environmental conditions for textile companies. The existing BREF dated back to 2003 and was therefore in need of some revision. After a revision process of almost four years, the new BAT conclusions for the textile industry were published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 20 December 2022. Within four years of the publication of the new BAT conclusions at the latest, companies must comply with these new provisions. In the entire preparation process, Fedustria and Centexbel have collaborated intensively and constructively.

Chemicals crucial for textile finishing
To imbue textiles with colour and specific properties, chemicals are indispensable. However, the use of chemicals is increasingly restricted in the context of the European REACH. The textile sector is subject to various restrictions. For example, there is the restriction proposal for skin-sensitising substances on textiles. However, not all substances are relevant to the textile sector. The overly extensive list of substances saddles textile companies with unnecessary testing costs. The textile sector therefore is therefore urging for the restriction to be limited to a textile-relevant substance list. Also, new substances can be added only after evaluation of their textile relevance.
Key figures | |
---|---|
Number of companies (only companies with 10 employees or more) | 38 (11 bespoke and 27 integrated) |
Number of employees | 880 |
Exported quota | 20 % |
Activity evolution in 2023 (in value) | -7,7 % |
Share in the total added value of the Belgian textile sector | 4 % |
Related articles
The economic situation in the Belgian textile industry