Since mid-June, the Mataró City Council is holding the Spanish vice-presidency of ACTE. Mataró joined the ACTE association in 1993 and earlier shared the national vice-presidency with the Igualada City Council, from 2014 to 2016.
This newly assumed vice-presidency confirms the Mataró City Council’s commitment to the textile sector. This commitment aligns with the city’s strategic vision and its push for specialisation in certain economic sectors – with technological innovation being the foundation of competitiveness across different sectors, including textiles.
Mataró stands out with its long tradition in the textile sector. Despite having gone through several challenges, the sector remains strong and maintains its status as the very centre of Catalan textiles.
Mataró and the textile industry
Statistics from the Mataró Observatory 2023 show an sector that represents a majority (50.4%/234 companies) of the city’s business. For example:
- predominantly small and micro-enterprises, with 80% of them having less than 9 employees.
- 2,120 employees, representing 41.9% of industrial employment in the city.
- a total of 772 contracts were generated in 2023, of which 66.2% were permanent
- a sector with the highest degree of specialisation in the city at 5.41%, followed distantly by healthcare at 2.26% and education at 2%.
The textile and fashion industry faces significant challenges, such as ecological transition and digital transformation. From this perspective, Mataró already has a series of tools, projects, and initiatives up and running to meet the sustainability and digitalisation challenge, including:
- Mataró Circular 2030. Aiming to accelerate the transition to a circular model and position Mataró as a reference city at a regional and national level.
- TEXAD Project (2024-2028). Preparing European municipalities to face the new set of European regulations and directives that will come into effect in 2025.
- Reimagine Textile (since 2019). A business innovation program directed at the Maresme textile sector, promoted within the framework of the Mataró-Maresme PECT.
- Cooperatextil (since 2013). A digital platform providing professional solutions for the textile sector, connecting supply and demand for textile production.
About ACTE
ACTE (the Association of European Textile Collectivities) is a network comprised of about 30 European municipalities, representing a population of approximately 2,000,000 inhabitants. These are cities with a strong connection to the textile sector, committed to promoting initiatives to enhance the textile and fashion industry with the aim of developing a prosperous and sustainable business segment.
ACTE was founded in Portugal in 1991 and is one of the first associations of local authorities at the European level. Its foundational purpose is to defend the interests of the territorial clusters and organisations representing the territories with the presence of the textile, apparel, leather, footwear, and fashion accessories sectors.
Today ACTE is an expanding network, with members in countries all over Europe. Local and regional authorities (as municipalities) are the direct members and institutions join the network as adherent members. The organisation is led by an executive committee and an elected presidential staff for three years at a time. All members meet annually, at our annual General Assembly (GA). ACTE Spain currently has 13 members.
