Think global, act local.
Trtex helps small textile businesses survive and grow, with consulting, training and a community focused on sustainable and circular fashion. We make complicated rules understandable and help you communicate honestly, without greenwashing.
Bilgesu Ekim, founder of Trtex
Textiles in Türkiye are going through a hard time. Orders are falling, costs are rising, and the sustainability rules coming from Europe tighten a little more every month. Small businesses, with no large teams behind them, carry most of that weight. Yet they are also the ones who hold the knowledge, craft and flexibility of Turkish textiles. We're here to stand with these businesses, share complicated information in plain words, and make sure nobody walks this road alone.
Knowledge grows when it's shared. We pass on what we know, clearly and with our sources.
None of us can change things alone. We bring producers, professionals and young people together.
Making, researching and wondering all need a space and a teacher. We build that space together.
Since 2020 I've worked in textiles and apparel on sustainability, circularity and responsible supply chains.
At the end of 2021 I founded Trtex. The idea was simple: share what I was learning instead of keeping it to myself, and open a space that questions the industry and connects the people in it. We published zines, wrote guides, untangled regulations and met hundreds of people in webinars.
Along the way I spent about four years leading sustainability communication at a denim manufacturer: UN Global Compact reports, Textile Exchange benchmarks, an EU Horizon project, a gender equality programme and a digital product passport pilot. On the side I advised brands on communication, and taught entrepreneurs and students.
In recent years I've seen how worn out the industry is: workshops closing, small firms losing their orders. That's where this new chapter of Trtex comes from. We now put everything we've learned into helping small textile businesses survive and grow.
Bilgesu Ekim
Every business is different, so we start from what you need rather than from a fixed package. These are the areas we work on most often. Fees depend on scope, and the first conversation is free.
Social media, newsletters, website and product copy, your sustainability story. For businesses with no marketing team, we set up your communication or run it with you, and every word is checked against the green-claims rules.
For development agencies, EU programmes and civil-society funds, we find the right call, write the application and, once funded, handle delivery, reporting and communication. We also design corporate sustainability and social-impact initiatives.
Endless sustainability questionnaires from brands, and reporting expectations that grow every year? We gather your data once, based on the EU's voluntary standard for small businesses (VSME), into an organised file that is ready for buyer requests and for reporting.
Cutting offcuts, deadstock fabric, unsold goods: all of it can turn into value. In a two-day workshop we pick the circular model that fits your business (resale, repair, made-to-order, upcycling, selling waste), run the numbers together and plan a 90-day pilot.
We deliver our trainings in-house for chambers, exporter associations, municipalities, NGOs and schools. We also speak on panels and moderate.
We've reshaped the trainings we've given brands, entrepreneurs and students for years around what small textile businesses need most right now. We'll announce dates here as they're set; if one interests you, just write and we'll let you know.
For fashion brands taking steps towards more responsible production: from brand identity and storytelling to digital communication and content strategy, with examples from fashion.
Learn to review your own labels, website and catalogue, and spot which claims need proof.
Learn to read fashion news, advertising and brands' sustainability claims critically: source, evidence and framing.
The basics of certifications such as GOTS, GRS and OEKO-TEX and of sustainability reporting: which one you need, why and when.
An introduction to the EU and Turkish rules that affect fashion and textiles: green claims, CSRD, product regulations and what they mean for small businesses.
Regular, genuine communication with little time: a content calendar, templates and a newsletter setup.
Learn to read development-agency and EU calls, and turn your idea into a project proposal.
Resale, repair, made-to-order, upcycling and selling waste: find which fits you, with examples from Türkiye.
For marketing and sales teams: is sustainability a value, a narrative or a marketing language?
Everything, big and small, since 2021. The bigger ones have a page of their own.
TRTEX Workshops: Communication Basics for Brands
December, live online
First meetup on 18 November See the project
Sustainable Fashion Marketing and Responsible Communication course
Istanbul Fashion Academy, April
Trtex's new chapter: a focus on small textile businesses
Services and trainings
Communication from A to Z when building a fashion brand
KEP and İzmir Governorship, 5 weeks
birliktebir.iz mentoring programme
Second term
In Pursuit of Responsible Production: Women's Day special
6 March See the project
Guide to choosing textiles for babies and children
Free PDF
Greenwashing avoidance guide for businesses
Free PDF
A guide to global fashion communities
Unfolding Fashion
The Orbit Consulting and the Sustainability Talks Istanbul media kit
6 months
Substack, TR/EN See the project
First piece: secondhand clothing
In Pursuit of Responsible Production: social justice, and "Can fashion be sustainable?"
February and October See the project
Common Fanzine #2: Fashion and Activism
Supported by Sivil Düşün See the project
In Pursuit of Responsible Production series begins
With KEP, 21 December See the project
Textile certifications and standards guide
44 certifications See the project
Sustainability and circularity communication consulting
Denim and fabric producers, consultancies; 2023–2025
With Sustainable Lawyer See the project
Common Fanzine #1: Agriculture and Textiles
April See the project
trtex.org blog: 11 articles
Greenwashing, women garment workers, next-gen materials, report digests
Green Drinks: Sustainable Fashion webinar
With Yeşilist, 16 June
Trtex.org is founded
Turkey Textile Research Organization, end of the year
Stages we've spoken on, programmes we've joined, and what's been written about us.
Everyday notes, training and event announcements, industry news. Instagram is where Trtex is most alive, and where we talk with our community most.
Tell us where your business is struggling and we'll look at where to start, together. The first call is free and online. We're also here for questions, collaboration ideas or just a hello.