Tunisia circular apparel

Tunisia produces high-quality apparel for some of Europe's leading fashion brands.  It is also known for its technical expertise and flexibility. Tunisia is close to Europe and can become a vital sourcing hub for the textile industry.

To meet new European Union (EU) sustainability and circularity regulations, CBI launched the Tunisia Circular Apparel project. This project connects Tunisian skills with the Dutch and European textile industry.  

Project purpose

This project focuses on 3 core areas. These core areas aim to contribute to the Netherlands’ and European economy and textile sector:

1. Sourcing opportunities for Dutch brands:  
   Tunisian frontrunners offer high-quality, sustainable nearshoring capacity. This boosts the resilience and competitiveness of Dutch fashion brands and retailers seeking to secure their global supply chains.  
2. Joint innovation:  
   The project introduced Tunisia’s first circular collection with Digital Product Passports (DPP). Dutch and Tunisian companies developed DPP through a formal agreement.
3. Main sustainable partnerships:  
   As the leading Dutch fashion and textile association, Modint serves as an essential project partner by promoting training programmes, sharing expertise on EU legislation, and guiding local training centres via the Modint Academy.

Become a partner

CBI offers hands-on support, business coaching, market connections, and strategic knowledge sharing.  

We invite Dutch and European fashion brands and retailers seeking sustainable nearshoring partners to join our program. This is backed by frontrunner companies that are ready for international collaboration.  

Reach out now
 

Significant achievements within the project  

The project continues to advance structural sector transformation through concrete, verifiable results. Together with all project partners, which include SMEs in the textile sector, CBI:

• Launched the Tunisian Textile Green Transition (TTGT) brand for unified sector branding among all major stakeholders.  
• Improved textile training sessions by integrating circular models, with successful updates expanding from the Manouba Centre to all Tunis training centres.
• Equipped 16 instructors with advanced textile waste management skills, benefiting 24 SMEs in diagnostics and improvement.  
• Showcased Tunisian sustainability in the textile sector at European trade fairs, earning CBI the Tunisian Tex Award in December 2025.
• Helped organise the upcoming regional event: Weaving a resilient Euro-Med textile value chain
• Organised a high-level regional conference in Tunis in September 2026 in close collaboration with EURATEX, FTTH, GIZ, SIPPO and the ITC. Goals of the conference were:
  • Regional integration: Over 120 essential stakeholders from Egypt, the EU, Morocco, Tunisia, and Türkiye were invited to this conference to deepen supply chain integration.  
  • Strategic legislation: There was a focus on practical navigation of new EU regulations, including the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) and the revised Pan-Euro-Mediterranean (PEM) convention.  
  • Market entry: The conference facilitated direct B2B matchmaking sessions and factory visits to position the region as a sustainable nearshoring hub for European importers.  

Market validation  

Introducing the first circular garments proved that sustainable production is feasible within the Tunisian apparel sector. Building on this momentum, the project expanded into home textiles by developing an innovative collection of circular carpets made from pre-consumer denim waste.  

This specialised collection has gained strong recognition at major trade platforms in Milan, generating high interest among European buyers. The next step is to translate this visibility into concrete commercial orders. In September 2026, the participating SMEs will present these high-quality, sustainable products at Maison&Objet in Paris. This offers a direct opportunity for European and Dutch importers to explore new sourcing partnerships and develop commercial trade relations.

Partners

The project is in the implementation phase. Current SME partners include:

• Altutex International
• Bachmara – Sté SICK
• DEMCO INTER
• DENIM AUTHORITY
• Denim House (Sartex)
• Denim Manufacture/Gonser
• Eclair Prym
• La Griffe Internationale
• KING PLUS
• KW-manufacturing
• van Laack Tunisie S.A
• OrthoTunisia
• Sinovog Export
• Société Industrielle des Textiles (SITEX)
• SOTUINTEX (Aramys group)
• STID/ Workman EXPORT  
• TUNICOTEX GROUP
• VTL SA

Other partners are:

• Centre Technique du Textile en Tunisie (CETTEX), Tunisia's textile technical centre
• Centre de Promotion des Exportations (CEPEX), Tunisia's export promotion agency
• EURATEX, the European Apparel and Textile Confederation
• Fédération Tunisienne du Textile et de l'Habillement (FTTH), Tunisia's Textile and Apparel Federation
• Modint, the Dutch fashion and textile industry association
• Tunisian Government

Collaborate with us

Would you like to connect with the Tunisian textile sector? We would appreciate to hear from you.

For questions or partnership opportunities, contact Drs. Heidy van der Ploeg, senior programme manager for CBI.  

About CBI

CBI promotes sustainable production and trade between low- and middle-income countries and the Netherlands and Europe. We partner with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their ecosystem to strengthen their social and environmental sustainability.  

CBI is part of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency and commissioned by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.