At the Techtextil 2026 exhibition, Techtera showcases innovations in the French textile industry in terms of sustainability.
The international Techtextil exhibition, taking place in Frankfurt from April 21 to 24, will see a strong presence of the French textile industry. Led by Techtera, the competitiveness cluster of the sector, the largest French delegation will bring together more than 25 industrialists in a 350m² space. The goal is clear: to demonstrate that the French textile industry, far from the stereotype of a declining industry, is now a major driver of technological innovation, performance, and sustainable development. This initiative is supported by the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, the heart of the sector in France.
A sector in full transformation
In 2024, the French textile industry represents nearly 2,400 companies, mostly SMEs, generating over 58,000 jobs with a turnover of €16.3 billion. Within this ecosystem, the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region stands out as the national leader, hosting 24% of companies and achieving a turnover of €3.58 billion.
The momentum in this sector lies in technical and functional textiles, which make up about 30% of national production. These high value-added materials, destined for markets such as healthcare, security, sports, or defense, are at the core of French competitiveness. The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region dominates this segment, accounting for almost 70% of the French sector’s turnover.
Innovation to meet the challenges of tomorrow
Faced with increasing demand for transparency, sustainability, and performance, textile manufacturers are adapting their strategies. Techtera supports its members around three major technological axes: high-performance smart materials, the circular economy (bio-based materials, recycling), and Industry 4.0. These directions aim to address societal challenges while strengthening the agility and competitiveness of companies in the face of global competition. The industry is thus engaged in a profound transformation, where social and environmental responsibility becomes a growth lever.
Concrete advances, from smart fabrics to chemical recycling
The innovations presented in Frankfurt illustrate this transition. Among them are solutions like bio-based alternatives from H&B Materials to replace PFAS pollutants in textile treatments, or the industrial-scale implementation of Recyc’Elit for recycling complex textiles. Other companies, such as Chamatex or Europrotect, are inventing materials for security and defense, while Satab Groupe is developing textile sensors for tension variation. The AQ-Tech study office stands out by integrating muscle measurement directly into smart clothing. The complete press release, presenting all these innovations, is available online.
Focus: AQ-Tech, when clothing becomes a mobile laboratory
One of the most striking examples of this wave of innovation is AQ-Tech’s AQ-Motion platform. Until now, precise analysis of muscle activity (electromyography – EMG) was confined to laboratories, with heavy and cumbersome equipment. AQ-Tech overcame this obstacle by integrating miniaturized sensors, the size of a two-euro coin, directly into leggings and a technical brassiere.
“The measuring tools are effective, but too heavy to be carried in the field. We cannot analyze an athlete in real conditions with laboratory equipment,” explains Alexandre Quarrey, founder and CEO of AQ-Tech. This technology allows continuous and contextualized monitoring of effort, offering previously inaccessible data for injury prevention, rehabilitation, or performance optimization.
“We can now advise an athlete to reduce his effort, but we don’t really know what his muscles are experiencing. Five kilometers can already represent 120% or 150% of strain,” emphasizes Alexandre Quarrey. The company positions itself not as a performance analyst, but as a provider of reliable data for experts. This collaborative approach with sports physicians, physiotherapists, and research laboratories paves the way for more precise and personalized monitoring protocols.
Techtera, the competitiveness cluster orchestrating this dynamic, animates a network of 281 members. Since its creation in 2005, it has supported over 338 collaborative R&D projects, representing a total budget of over €798 million, confirming its central role in stimulating textile innovation in France.
