The Dutch garment and textile sector
The Dutch garment and textile sector is a €20 bn sector offering employment to 100.000 people in The Netherlands and 60.000 working under contract of Dutch companies in other countries.
Garments account for approximately half of the turnover of the Dutch textile and garment sector, comprising consumer garments (40%), sportswear (5%) and work wear (5%). The other half of the sector is equally divided between home textiles (25%) including carpets and furniture and technical textiles (25%).
Approximately half of garment sales are made by non-Dutch enterprises operating on the Dutch market. Overall sector sales are made by trading and production enterprises, a large number of which are members of the three industry organizations. A small but growing proportion of sales is achieved by enterprises whose main activities are not trading in or manufacturing textiles and garments, e.g. supermarkets.
The sector has a long history in The Netherlands, with Leiden, Twente and Brabant as the main regional hubs of the garment and textile industry. Although there is still production in The Netherlands, most garments and textile products are produced outside The Netherlands and the European Union.