The president of the Retail Textile Association of Spain (ARTE), Ana López-Casero Beltrán, analyzes in DEMÓCRATA the main challenges facing the textile trade at a time marked by the approval of the first state collective agreement for large chains, the new regulation on textile waste, and the growing weight of European regulations. She also addresses the competitiveness of the sector, the need to harmonize the rules of the community market, the attraction of investment, and the future challenges for an industry that represents 2% of GDP and generates more than 340,000 jobs in Spain.

Question - The current situation of the sector, once the Ministry has given the green light to the publication of the text last Friday, involves the signing of the first state collective agreement for large textile trade chains, which will affect about 120,000 workers. How do you think it will contribute to the professionalization of the sector?

Answer - It is a historic step. Moreover, it was promoted by the Association three years ago and has been a long and difficult path. We are talking about changing the labor architecture of an ecosystem like the textile sector, which was governed by provincial agreements or some company agreements, but very minority.

What we have sought with this agreement is to achieve a homogeneous, modern labor framework that would provide stability to the sector, legal security, professionalize it, and reduce the inequalities that exist in provincial agreements, to make it attractive to talent.

We had clear objectives and knew that the best opportunity was through social dialogue.

The negotiating effort has resulted in an agreement that is the only one in the sector that combines in the same negotiating architecture more salary, more professional promotion, less working hours, more reconciliation, and more contractual stability.

For us, it is a milestone. Social dialogue has won, the sector has won, and the Spanish economy has won, which will have a strategic sector like Retail textile in which Spain is a world leader and one of the great engines of economic activity and employment in our country. This agreement will strengthen its competitiveness and better prepare it to face present and future challenges.

Q- And now, where do you have your focus?

R- Now their application arrives, in which naturally doubts, difficulties will arise... and what we want is to help all companies to implement it with guarantees. To this end, a parity commission will be established that will oversee the application and monitoring of the agreement. This agreement will affect the members of ARTE and the entities that have 400 professionals and meet one of these two requirements: to have more than 3,500 square meters of commercial space or to have a physical store presence in at least three autonomous communities.

At the same time, and within that parity commission, we will work on all aspects of training that we address in the agreement, as well as in the development of an Absenteeism Observatory, which is an absolutely key issue and that we must address from all areas jointly: unions and business associations.

P- Aside from self-regulation, the sector is waiting for the Government's legislation. For example, the Royal Decree regulating textile and footwear products, as well as waste management, which is in the preliminary phase before going to the Council of Ministers. How have relations been during its preparation?

R- We have been in contact with the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, but above all we have done joint work with other organizations in the sector such as Reviste and also the ARTE Textile and Fashion Observatory.

From the beginning, we have expressed that we share the interest and the need for regulation of textile waste. However, there are some aspects of the project such as, for example, the objectives of separate collection, preparation for reuse, and recycling that go beyond the community directive that is being transposed and that pose a problem for their achievement.

Not due to lack of will, but because our country does not have the necessary infrastructure in terms of collection, classification, recycling, etc. Those objectives, in the new version that we know, have been altered, but they remain ambitious and difficult to achieve for this same reason.

On the other hand, we have also conveyed to the Ministry the great opportunity we have for our country to become a textile recycling hub and to truly be a source of wealth generation and employment. The entire sector is united in this.

P- So, have you felt heard by the Government during this process?

R- At first, it was difficult to establish that dialogue, partly due to the large number of organizations presenting allegations, but once a relationship of trust was created with those responsible for drafting the regulation, we were able to convey the sector's vision to them.

We believe that this work has been reflected in the text known through the TRIS procedure. An example is the elimination of the obligation for stores larger than 400 square meters to allocate a space for the sale of second-hand goods, a measure we disagreed with because it affected business freedom and we understood that it could generate unfair competition with social entities dedicated to that activity.

P- You mentioned the TRIS procedure. Considering that a large part of the sector's regulations are decided in the European Union, what is the relationship with the European Commission and the community institutions?

R- Arte is an association that primarily operates in Spain, although we participate in public consultations and European regulatory processes. We have direct communication in Brussels through organizations like EBCA, Euratex, and EuroCommerce, with which we maintain a very close relationship. Communication with European institutions is good and there is dialogue, although another issue is whether those contributions end up translating into regulatory changes.

In Spain, there is also an added complexity due to the coexistence of 17 autonomous communities, which requires monitoring that territorial differences do not generate greater regulatory fragmentation. We also convey that same need for harmonization to the European Union, with the aim that the regulations can be applied uniformly across all member states. It is a work of persistence, supported by data and knowledge of a strategic sector for Europe.

P- One of the main drawbacks of the community market is that the standards required by Europe are above average, do you fear that the increasing regulatory demands of the EU, especially regarding sustainability, will end up reducing the competitiveness of European companies compared to countries with less strict rules?

R- Absolutely, our battle here is that all European operators are given the same rules of the game. If there are companies that do not have to meet these demands, a situation of disadvantage is generated.

We have never questioned the sustainability objectives. The debate is not there, but in the speed of implementation and in the deadlines. Adapting companies to these standards requires investments, technological changes, new processes, and a transformation of corporate culture.

Competition must be decided on equal terms and then let the consumer choose. The European Union is taking important and brave steps, for example with the reform of the Customs Code and other measures to strengthen the single market, but we believe it still needs to continue advancing to ensure that equality of conditions.

Q- Spain has some of the leading textile companies in the world. What is the sector doing well and what needs to improve to remain competitive internationally?

A- The Spanish fashion retail is at the forefront of international competitiveness. Our brands are references worldwide and, moreover, Spain is a very attractive market for investment from large international companies. The new collective agreement provides legal security and a more modern labor framework, which also favors that investment.

It is a very professional sector, resilient and with an enormous capacity to adapt to complex contexts and changes in consumption habits. The textile trade alone represents 2% of GDP and generates 343,000 jobs, so we should feel very proud because it also projects the brand Spain.

What does it need to remain competitive? To continue innovating constantly. Companies work every day to open new markets, develop new lines of business, improve customer experience, and adapt to new forms of consumption.

It is a very dynamic sector that evolves at great speed. And it certainly needs European, national, and regional regulators to support its competitiveness and not hinder it. I mean reducing regulatory burden without lowering ambition in sustainability, regulatory harmonization, and strengthening the single market, legal security, and the same rules for all competitors.

Q- And finally, from ARTE what are the challenges you have identified in the medium or short term?

R- The main challenge remains regulatory. We must continue participating in the transposition of European regulations so that it is done with all guarantees, in a harmonized manner and adapted to the reality of the sector. We also want to continue collaborating with regulators to convey how this industry works and the impact their decisions have on companies.

Another objective is to consolidate the new state collective agreement, so that the agreed improvements are truly reflected in the people who work in the sector. In addition, we want to strengthen our ARTE Research with new studies that provide rigorous knowledge, promote vocational training more aligned with the current needs of fashion retail, and continue developing Agenda, our social laboratory, to measure the impact and social footprint of the sector on workers, consumers, and suppliers to promote projects that reinforce its positive impact.

Finally, we maintain a firm commitment to the well-being and health of professionals in the sector and to attracting and developing diverse talent. We want textile retail to be a leading sector in occupational health and labor inclusion, and for this, we work with entities such as Inserta, Fundación Integra, or the Spanish Association Against Cancer.