Textile and apparel companies around the world are seeking better solutions and more sustainable models for their future development and supply chain management. Due to uncertainties and challenges in global textile sourcing, and with manufacturing and trading being driven by political and economic factors, companies are looking at more extensive integrations and collaborations to increase stability and sustainability in supply chain management.

Technology and innovation are not only beneficial to the textile production process but also helps in the development of new textile materials with different functionalities. The global textile market is experiencing an increasing demand for functional textiles in diverse industries such as aerospace, shipping, sports, agriculture, defense, health care, and construction.

Technical textiles and smart textiles are seen as the best solutions for meeting the requirements of health and safety, strength and durability, weight, versatility, customization, user friendliness, and eco-friendliness.Textile companies have transformed their production lines from mass production of fast fashion items to manufacturing more value-added technical and smart textiles; this trend is expected to continue over the next few years.

Modern data and information technology allows companies across the globe to form a virtual connection, whereby supply chain partners can exchange data and information in real time. This is viewed as the best solution for the problem of uncertainty in the global textile supply chain.