Editorial: Impact of the earthquakes on Turkey’s textile and clothing industries

Editorial: Impact of the earthquakes on Turkey’s textile and clothing industries

The two earthquakes which caused widespread devastation in south-eastern Turkey on February 6, 2023, have already had a significant impact on the country’s textile and clothing industries. There are 1,616 garment companies employing almost 150,000 workers operating within the provinces affected by the earthquakes. There are also 1,290 textile companies employing nearly 200,000 workers upon which Turkish clothing manufacturers in other regions rely to supply them with textile inputs in the form of yarns and fabrics. Furthermore, there is a considerable amount of cotton growing in the region, which the Turkish textile industry depends upon for its raw materials. The disruption to the textile and clothing industry caused by the earthquakes will have a major impact on supplies to the country’s key markets in Europe, in North America and, importantly, within Turkey itself. That said, the clothing industry in Turkey is likely to be less affected than the textile industry as most Turkish clothing manufacturing is located in and around Istanbul—some 1,200 km away in the north-west of the country. But Turkey is especially prone to earthquakes, and the devastation caused by the earthquakes in the south-east on February 6, 2023, has led to renewed fears that earthquakes could occur in the north-west, notably in Istanbul itself.