A focus on the European Linen Industry
In conjunction with the very first kind of Linen Incredible! Flax in the City taking actually place in the French capital Paris (see Event Calendar) and later in Florence (I), we would like to throw some light on Europe’s Linen industry
There exists a triennial programme for the promotion of European linen: BE LINEN, it is a driver of constructive action for all levels and participants of the linen story. The referred to exhibition marks the step to target the general public an provide an opportunity for CELC MASTERS OF LINEN the European Confederation of Linen and Hemp (CELC, founded in 1951 as a promotional platform), the only European agro-industrial organisation entailing all the stages of production and transformation for linen & hemp and for 10000 European companies. It oversees the fibre’s development from plant to finished products. Through its Textile Pole it assures the promotion of this section of industry in the areas of fashion and art of living. With the creation of its Technical Pole and European Scientific Committee, CELC helps its member to move towards the future to discover new technical fields such as eco-construction and high performing composite products. The Linen Dream Lab (located in Paris and Milan) is a showroom dedicated to creativity and to textile or technical innovations. It offers services to innovators in the fashion, art of living and design industries by accompaniment in creation, aid, in sourcing, publication of trend books, prototype fashion and home fabrics; material, yarn and fabric library.
The EU supports the European Linen Industry because it is grown locally, does use zero irrigation, respects EU working conditions and wages, offers traceability, sustainability and innovation, provokes zero waste and low carbon emissions, it maintains rural industry and produces 85 % of the world’s flax.
The price for long to average fibres runs from EUR 1.5 to EUR 2.5 per kilogramme, depending quality. For the season 2011-12 sales for flax scotched EXW were executed at EUR 1.93/kg. The harvest 2012 amounted to 81265 hectares, thereof 11500 hectares in Belgium, 67765 hectares in France and 2000 hectares in the Netherlands.
The following table gives the key figures from 2005 to 2011/12.