Textiles de France

The Union des Industries Textiles (The Union of Textile Industries) is a professional association founded in 1900. It unites professional employers associations within the industry:
• Professional federations and branches include: cotton, wool, linen, cordage and nets, mesh, silk, lace and embroidery, artificial and synthetic textiles, finishing...
• The UIT also has regional branches around France: Aisne, Alsace, Champagne, Lorraine, South-Pyrenees, North, Normandy, Picardy, Rhone-Alpes.

Representing the majority of the 1100 textile companies active in France by means of its member groups, the UIT fulfils the three following objectives :

1/ To protect the interests of its members
Having such a strong and established network, allows the UIT to help facilitate a legal, social, fiscal and commercial environment, beneficial to textile activity :


For the French textiles industry, the UIT strongly supports the creation of new funding mechanisms, varying according to the qualifications and ages of employees, in order to mitigate the effects of weakened employment, a simplification of the SMIC (the guaranteed minimum wage) and a reform of professional (business) taxes ;
• At a European level, the UIT defends intellectual property rights and supports all the initiatives that are likely to help SMEs to innovate and increase exports ;
• At an international level, the UIT (in collaboration with Ubifrance) operates through its partner organisations (Eurovet, Premiere Vision, Espace Textile) to create and implement challenging export strategies (Russia, China, India...)

2/ To define the lobbying strategy for the profession and to be the spokesman for the industry to the decision makers

The UIT's Board of Directors defines and represents the general policies and opinions of the profession to public authorities, employers and union organisations at national, European and world levels for all the subjects of common interest: taxation, research and development, social and welfare entitlements, sales and marketing policy, industrial strategy and protection against counterfeiting

3/ To improve professional skills within companies

The UIT has a very active policy in supporting initial and continuous training in the textiles industry. Through FORTHAC, a state approved watchdog, established to advise businesses and their employees on training and apprenticeship schemes in France, it maintains close links to all major textile schools and universities. Since its creation in 1994, 21000 young people have benefited from combined work/study contracts and more than 320 000 young trainees from vocational training.

UIT 37-39 rue de Neuilly, BP 121, 92 110 Clichy
Telephone number : +33 (0)1 47 56 31 00 Fax : +33(0)1 47 30 25 28

The UIT is a member of :

• MEDEF - The French Business Confederation
• Industrial Federations Group (GFI)
• Euratex - trade organization, dedicated to the promotion of the European textile and apparel industry