The Textile Landscape of 2025: A Year of Transformation
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Navigating Policy Reforms, Trade Agreements, and Global Events
2025 was a big year for textiles. India signed major trade deals, the government changed old rules, and exhibitions broke attendance records. If you're in manufacturing, sourcing, or policy, here's what happened and why it matters.
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January-February: The Year Begins
Heimtextil 2025 [1] in Frankfurt (January 14-17) had 3,000+ exhibitors from 65 countries. The main focus was sustainability through their 'Econogy' label. If you export home textiles to Europe, this is now the standard you need to meet.
Bharat Tex 2025 (February 14-17) [2] in Delhi was massive—2.2 million square feet, 5,000+ exhibitors, 6,000 international buyers from 110 countries, and 120,000+ visitors. PM Modi attended, showing how seriously the government takes India's textile ambitions.
March-May: India's Trade Deals
On May 6, India and the UK finalised their trade deal (CETA) after three years of talks. Indian exports now get duty-free access to 99% of UK markets. For textile manufacturers in Tirupur, Surat, and Ludhiana, this means products that faced around 12% duties now enter free.
India-UK trade was $56 billion in 2025, with a target to double by 2030. The textile sector employs 45 million people in India.
India also moved forward with EU trade talks (11th round in May) and US discussions under 'Mission 500'—aiming to double bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030.
July-September: Deals Get Signed
The India-UK deal was officially signed [3] on July 24 when PM Modi visited the UK. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and UK Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds signed it.
Texworld Paris (September 15-17) [4] had 1,300 exhibitors from 30+ countries. The focus was on sustainable fashion and near-sourcing from Europe. For Indian exporters, this showed what European buyers want—sustainability isn't optional anymore.
October: Machinery and More Trade Deals
October 1: The India-EFTA deal [5] (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein) went live. They committed $100 billion in investments and one million jobs over 15 years. This is the first FTA with binding investment targets.
ITMA Asia Singapore [6] (October 28-31) was huge—840+ exhibitors from 30 countries, 70,000 square meters. This event showed the latest in automation and sustainable manufacturing tech.
November-December: Year-End Deals
December 18: India signed a trade deal with Oman [7]. Indian exports get 98% duty-free access. India-Oman trade was $10.6 billion in FY 2024-25.
December 22: India and New Zealand wrapped up FTA talks, aiming to double trade within five years.
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Government Policy Changes
The government removed Quality Control Orders (QCOs) on viscose staple fibre (November 18) and MMF polyester (November 12). Cotton bale QCO was pushed to August 2026. This reduces compliance headaches for manufacturers.
Union Budget 2025-26 [8] increased textile ministry funding by 19%—from ₹4,417 crore to ₹5,272 crore. Key allocations: Cotton Mission (₹600 crore), PLI Scheme (₹1,148 crore), Technology Upgradation Fund (₹635 crore).
New labour codes launched on November 21, consolidating 29 old laws into four modern ones. This brings India closer to global labour standards, important for EU buyers who check labour compliance.
Seven PM MITRA Parks got 100% land acquisition and environmental clearances. Mandatory textile labelling rules now require fibre content, origin country, and care instructions—matching US and EU standards.
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Export Support Measures
The government launched a ₹25,060-crore Export Promotion Mission. They also gave exporters relief: a loan repayment moratorium from September 1 to December 31, 2025, for apparel makers. The export payment deadline has been extended from 9 to 15 months.
India's textile exports reached $37.75 billion in 2024-25, representing 5% growth over the previous year. During April-September 2025, India diversified significantly—exports to 111 countries grew 10%, bringing in $8.49 billion. November 2025 alone saw total textile exports up 9.4% year-over-year, with ready-made garments specifically jumping 11.3%.
Our Year on the Road: TVC Media in 2025
We at TVC Media covered over 20 textile events this year across India, Europe, China, Turkey, Morocco, and Singapore. We attended some, exhibited at others, and spoke at a few. Here's why we did it: to bring you ground-level insights you can't get from press releases.
Some highlights:
January kicked off strong: We visited SITEX Surat (Jan 10-12) for machinery innovations, then flew to Heimtextil Frankfurt (Jan 14-17), where we saw sustainability becoming mandatory, not optional. The 'Econogy' label is now what European buyers expect. We wrapped up the month at Fibers and Yarn Mumbai (Jan 23-25). We also spoke at the Fashion Forward Summit.
February's crown jewel: Bharat Tex Delhi (Feb 14-17) - four days walking 2.2 million square feet, talking to hundreds of exhibitors. The scale showed India means business globally. We also visited GTTES Mumbai (Feb 21-23) and exhibited at Yarn Fair Istanbul (Feb 26-28). Turkey connects Europe and Asia, and the yarn tech we saw is ahead of much of what's in India.
China in March: We exhibited at Hometex Shenzhen (March 7-10) and visited Yarn Fair Shanghai (March 11-13). China's automation levels are 5-10 years ahead in some areas. Understanding this helps Indian manufacturers know what to invest in.
May through July - India circuit: We exhibited at Gartex Mumbai (May 22-24), then participated in both Morocco Fashion Style and Tex and Morocco Home Textiles Expo (May 28-31) in Casablanca. North Africa is becoming Europe's near-sourcing hub—Indian exporters need to watch this competition. July brought us to Yarnex, F&A, ASF, and Hometex Delhi (July 10-12), HGH Mumbai (July 1-4), Weaveknit Surat (July 18-20), where we exhibited, and visited NGF by CMAI Mumbai.
September expansion: Gartex Delhi (Aug 21-23) featured record participation. We attended FICCI's TAG conference (September 12) and the Sourcing Meet in Jaipur (Sep 11-12). In late September, we exhibited at the Amsterdam Textile Show (Sep 29-Oct 1).
October's big one: ITMA Singapore (Oct 28-31) - the biggest. Four days, 840+ exhibitors, machinery worth millions. We exhibited here. The automation tech we saw will reshape textile manufacturing in the next decade.
November - Exhibition blitz: We exhibited at some of the major shows: Global Sourcing Expo Australia (Nov 18-20), TechTextil Mumbai (Nov 19-21), and Yarnex/F&A/Hometex Mumbai (Nov 27-29). This month demonstrated our commitment to covering technical textiles, nonwovens, yarns, and fabrics across multiple continents.
December finale: We closed the year exhibiting at Intimasia Mumbai (Dec 17-19).
Bottom line: The textile world is big and moves fast. By being at these 25+ events, we connect the dots for you. Whether you're in Panipat or Coimbatore, our job is to tell you what's happening globally that affects your business locally.
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What This Means for You
- Manufacturers: The UK and EFTA deals give you duty-free access. But there's a catch—40% value addition must happen in India. Get your documentation systems ready now.
- Policymakers: The QCO rollbacks and labour code changes fix old problems. Now finish the PM MITRA Parks and make sure PLI benefits reach small manufacturers, not just big mills.
- Buyers: India's competitive now with FTAs. But check your suppliers' ESG credentials. EU's CSRD and ESPR aren't going away—they're getting stricter.
- Tech Providers: Events like ITMA prove that the demand for automation and sustainability tech is real. South Asia and Southeast Asia are hungry for modernisation.
What's Next in 2026
2025 laid the groundwork. India got market access through FTAs. Governments fixed old rules. Sustainability became mandatory, not optional.
Now comes execution. Can manufacturers scale up for the new markets? Will sustainability investments pay off? Can India hit the $100 billion export target?
Those who adapted in 2025—used the FTAs, upgraded tech, committed to sustainability—are ready. For everyone else, 2026 will be about catching up. And catching up is always more expensive than staying ahead.
References:
[2] https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2067001®=3&lang=2
[3] https://www.pib.gov.in/PressNoteDetails.aspx?NoteId=154945&ModuleId=3®=3&lang=2
[6] https://www.itmaasiasingapore.com/about/the-singapore-2025-edition
[7] https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2205889&%3breg=3&%3blang=2®=3&lang=2
[8] https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2099411®=3&lang=2