The Technical Textiles Sector in Brazil Benefits From Portuguese Technology

The technical textiles sector in Brazil will benefit from Portuguese technology as associations from both the countries have signed a major partnership agreement for the transfer of technical textile technology from Portugal to Brazil, with several actions planned over the coming years, according to a press release from Brazilian Association of Textile and Clothing Industry (ABIT).

The agreement has been signed by ABIT, Brazilian Association of Producers of Artificial and Synthetic Fibers (ABRAFAS), Textile and Chemical Industry Technological Centre – National Industrial Apprenticeship Service (CETIQT-SENAI) and Technological Centre for the Textile and Clothing Industries of Portugal (CITEVE), along with the Selective Fashion Association (MSA) and the Association of Textile Portugal (ATP).

The first action will be an international symposium in Rio de Janeiro on April 8-9, 2014, which will cover the latest application of technical textiles in various sectors and also the latest research on the ‘textiles of the future’. The event will feature several international experts in technical textiles, the companies that produce technical textiles and end users who have benefited by using technical textiles, the release said.

“The textile and clothing sector in Brazil is not limited to fashion. We have several companies that produce technical textiles that have applications in medical, construction, transport and agribusiness sectors, and also in clothing. The partnership with CITEVE, which brings together all the major textile technologies across Europe, will alter the level of Brazil in this area in a few years,” explains Rafael Cervone, president of Abit.

“Our job is to alert businesses to the opportunities in the field of technical textiles. This forum will bring access to the best productions from Europe and Brazil in the context of technical textiles. The Brazilian entrepreneurs and researchers will have direct contact with customers who are interested in learning more about the Brazilian market and are willing to invest. The technical textile segment already represents 25 percent of Portuguese textile industry, and it should succeed in Brazil,” says António Braz Costa, CEO of CITEVE.

According to Mr. Costa, technical textiles are competitive when they have simple processes. Moreover, these fabrics should have a set of features for the sectors to which they refer.

“Today, people pay for a unique design because they believe in adding value. Likewise, people will pay for features they consider an important value addition as: easy to clean, almost infinite storage, hydration, sun protection, and medical monitoring of blood pressure, temperature, blood glucose, muscle recovery, among others. In technical textiles concern for sustainability and whole life cycle of that product is a direction for all the research,” Mr. Costa adds.