The textile nearshoring has consolidated in recent years as one of the most relevant strategies to redesign the supply chains of the fashion and apparel industry. Compared to traditional outsourcing models to distant countries, more and more companies are choosing to bring their production closer to geographically proximate markets to gain speed, flexibility, and adaptability.
This change responds to economic, logistical, and regulatory factors. As reported by Cepyme News (the news portal of the Spanish Confederation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises), companies seek nearby suppliers capable of guaranteeing more resilient supply chains, in a context in which the compliance with environmental and increasingly demanding social regulations in Europe is also influencing productive reorganization.
In this scenario, Spain and the Mediterranean region appear as strategic spaces for the sector. The combination of logistical infrastructures, manufacturing tradition, business networks, and proximity to European markets is boosting the country's role as a possible industrial hub within the textile nearshoring strategy.
What is ‘nearshoring’?
The concept of nearshoring refers to a form of business outsourcing based on moving part of the production or services to nearby countries from a geographical point of view. As explained at EAE Business School, it consists of subcontracting services or productive processes in foreign countries located at a relatively short distance, generally less than about four hours of flight.
This strategy allows companies to produce near their main markets, while maintaining certain cost advantages. By locating production in nearby environments, communication between companies is facilitated, the coordination of teams and the supervision of production processes.
From an economic point of view, nearshoring is also being linked to the reconfiguration of international supply chains. From Cepyme News, they highlight that more and more international companies are looking for nearby suppliers to guarantee speed and flexibility in their operations.
Differences with ‘offshoring’
Nearshoring is usually analyzed in comparison with the offshoring model, an outsourcing strategy based on moving production to distant countries with the aim of reducing costs.
According to the explanation from EAE Business School, offshoring generally allows for cheaper production costs, but geographical distance can hinder communication between teams and process coordination. Added to this are other factors such as cultural or legal differences, language barriers, or possible geopolitical imbalances.
In this context, nearshoring maintains part of the advantages of outsourcing, but reduces some of the risks associated with distance. Geographical proximity facilitates collaboration between companies and allows greater control over production.
Advantages of ‘nearshoring’ in supply chains
Among the main advantages of nearshoring is the improvement in communication between contracting companies and suppliers. Geographic proximity allows for accelerating decision-making and improving the management of production processes.
Another of the advantages pointed out by EAE Business School is the reduction of time and transport costs. By shortening the distances between production centers and destination markets, shipments can be made in shorter periods.
Likewise, it facilitates a greater understanding of the market and the legal environment. Nearby countries often share similar labor and commercial regulatory frameworks, which simplifies regulatory compliance and reduces the risk of sanctions.
In the European sphere, this model also responds to the need to comply with increasingly demanding environmental and social regulations, they indicate in Cepyme News, which is driving the reorganization of supply chains towards closer geographical environments.
Spain as ‘hub’ strategic of the textile sector
The evolution of the textile and fashion sector is reinforcing Spain's role as a possible strategic hub in the industrial reorganization process. On the website the International Textile Industry Fair ITF Intertex Spain (which will be held in Madrid from November 17 to 19, 2026) maintain that this country is consolidating itself as a relevant player in the sector thanks to its geographical location and its manufacturing tradition.
Situated between Europe, North Africa and Latin America, Spain offers access to different international markets and acts as a commercial bridge between regions. This positioning, together with its logistical infrastructures and the presence of large companies in the fashion sector, reinforces its role within European supply chains.
The country also has a business ecosystem linked to the textile and apparel sector that includes manufacturers, suppliers, designers, and technology companies. This business network is also reflected in the holding of international sector fairs, which bring together fabric manufacturers, fashion brands, textile machinery companies, and buying agents.
The Mediterranean and the reorganization of the textile sector
The reorganization of textile production is also being considered on a regional scale. In an opinion piece published in Empresa Exterior, Anwar Zibaoui, general coordinator of ASCAME (Association of the Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry), highlights that the Mediterranean has conditions to compete with other regions of the world in terms of logistics, infrastructure, and industrial talent.
According to Zibaoui, the textile sector is a key industry that employs millions of workers and can generate a large number of jobs in the region. Furthermore, the pandemic highlighted the importance of having shorter and more efficient regional supply chains.
In this context, the author raises the need to reorganize production through models based on flexibility, speed, and nearshoring, at the same time promoting a more sustainable productive model and adapted to new technologies.
The Mediterranean region, he points out, can act as an alternative base to Asia for part of textile production, shortening logistical circuits with the European Union and reducing the carbon footprint. In this scenario, business cooperation and the strengthening of regional supply chains appear as key elements for the development of textile nearshoring.