About ZiTex

ZiTex - Textile & Fashion NRW (ZiTex) has been an independent, non-government funded association for the textiles and clothing industry in North Rhine-Westphalia since May 2004. It was formed from the (partially) government-sponsored initiative of the same name, which was founded in 1996.

ZiTex is a textile and clothing sector organisation which is based in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and, as a core structural element, it has a unique status in Europe:

it is co-sponsored by employers' associations and the trade union.

This co-sponsorship arrangement has advantages which would not exist in a structure sponsored by only one of the social partners:

• Perception of ZiTex as a "neutral" representative of the entire sector (employers and employees) as a result of its political administrative system and the opportunities for cooperation that this enables.
• Pooling the specific interests of the employers' associations and trade union enables the efficient implementation of broad-based projects.

In this context, ZiTex is a regional organisation for the North Rhine-Westphalian textile and clothing industry, whereby its sponsorship structure and operational relationships with upstream and downstream sectors will be intensified to promote cluster formation in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Cluster Textile- and Fashionindustry