Sharing our knowledge: learning resources for textile and clothing SMEs
In this article we’ve provided a list of learning resources developed from a survey of our members. This material may range from webinars to multi-unit online courses with testing and sometimes certification, or worksheets and workshop plans to carry out group work with your team. Most of these resources come out of EU-funded projects and so are made free for a certain amount of time. The materials can usually be customized for your needs or directly taught by the people who made them in a workshop or classroom setting to ensure that learnings are more targeted and better retained.
This article is a written summary of the talk given at Avantex / Texworld Paris in September 2025 by Alexandra Korey – you can watch the video here, and follow the links below to the individual resources.
Why you need upskilling in your company
If you’re an SME or any kind of entrepreneur, you know that to remain competitive, innovative and up to date on sustainability topics you’ll have to spend some time and money on upskilling. When upskilling works well, it gives you and your employees new knowledge and enthusiasm; you and your staff come up with innovative solutions, and it can lead to happy, retained employees, making you more competitive.
But there are a lot of factors that you probably consider seriously before agreeing to do some on the job training. Most of all, the cost – training takes time and money. And will it pay off in the end? Some formal courses are too structured and half the units aren’t what you need, or they aren’t compatible with work hours. And will people retain and apply what was learned? You can never be sure that the investment would pay off.
So, what you really want is to fill in where you know you have gaps. In our experience, SMEs want courses that are short, specific, relevant, retained and easily applied.
The TCBL network is a potential solution to finding out where you have gaps and how to fill them with targetted learning. Through the many projects our members carry out, we’ve observed that there are a lot of – mostly free – online resources and full courses that businesses can use to upskill on themes like you see on the screen.
In thinking about how to present these resources in a logical and helpful maner, initially we thought of basing our list on themes. But we realized that due to the way that everything (in life and business) is interconnected, many of the resources actually include a range of topics or can be read at different levels. So we developed the resource matrix that ranges from strategic to operational, and from the more specific to the wider systemic action. This provides a framework for our exploration.
Topic-specific resources for T&C SMEs
Sustainable design and manufacturing course / VETRINE
Project: VETRINE
TCBL member: Cedecs-TCBL
Level: VET + SME
What: Free online 5-unit course available in 7 languages. Flexible self-study, quiz to test knowledge, certificate of completion
www.vetrine.eu – Requires sending an email to sign up
Smart, digital, and green transition / Addtex
Project: Addtex
TCBL member: Citeve
Level: 3 levels: technicians, engineers, managers
What: Free online courses to accelerate transition on three themes: green, digital, and smart transition, at 3 levels. For example, see the complete course of 5 units on the digital transition (to learn about things like data acquisition, industrial control systems and robotics systems)
Digital transition / e-commerce / Skills4Retail
Project: Skills4Retail
Level: basic for microbusiness and SME
What: Complete course consisting of a series of powerpoints to help small businesses transition to e-commerce, including marketing, green skills and human skills, with the goal of making retail more resilient.
https://skills4retail.eu/course/reactive-training-programme/
Management / Tecofash
Project: Tecofash
TCBL member: Lottozero
Level: startups, designers, SME employees
What: Free online course in 3 packages with numerous short modules delivered with video and text, quizzes. Vertical content covering numerous aspects needed to develop and manage a sustainable fashion company.
https://tecofash.erasmus.site/project-results/platform/
Operational resources for hands-on innovation
Innovation and experimentation / Shemakes
Project: Shemakes
TCBL Members: Cedecs-TCBL & labs
Level: 8-80 year old learners; women
What: Exposing women in particular to innovative developments in the T&C industry through hands-on workshops led by labs. Experiments include smart textiles, modular construction, using lasercutters and 3d printers, and natural dyes.
Innovation and experimentation / Fabricademy
Institution: Fabricademy
TCBL Members: FabLabBCN & Waag
Level: all ages, disciplines, and professional backgrounds
What: a multidisciplinary 6-month intensive program at the intersection of digital fabrication, textiles and biology using a distributed learning format.
Also available: 1 week bootcamp to sample innovation and increase creativity; customized thematic learning paths
Innovation and experimentation / Distributed Design
Platform: Distributed Design
TCBL Members: FabLabBCN / Iaac
Level: all ages, disciplines, and professional backgrounds
What: A collection of resources from the design and fablab communities. For example, a Masterclass on distributed design that teaches ICT technologies that can be applied to digital design and manufacturing.
https://learn.distributeddesign.eu/
Strategic resources for long-term innovation
Strategic and specific biotextiles / Groen Kennisnet
Project: RegioGreenTex / Groen Kennisnet
Level: textile professionals and agri-food experts
A 4-module course on biobased materials that goes from why to how
https://wiki.groenkennisnet.nl/space/BMFFT
Small business strategy / Small but perfect
Project: Small but perfect
TCBL member: Soffa
Level: Start-up, designer, microbusiness
What: A series of toolkits that frame “small” as a strategic choice and provide toolkits (including quizzes and reflection activities) on major topics in entrepreneurship.
https://www.fashionrevolution.org/small-but-perfect/
Systemic and strategic resources to unite regions or communities
Circular Economy / Re_Fashion
Platform: Re_Fashion Pro
What: multi-stakeholder project by the French authorities to support circular economy and implement EPR in the TCLF industry. Wide range of information in various formats, including documentation on how to comply with EU regulatory frameworks on sustainability, a series of eco-design “cheat sheets”, a platform to assist recyclers.
Circular Economy and systemic change / FABRIX
Project: FABRIX
TCBL member: Cedecs-TCBL, Soffa
For: SMEs, urban planners, local administrators
What: Project that encourages industrial symbiosis to increase circularity in urban areas. Various features for SMEs via a Platform + in-person training in pilot cities.
Circular Economy / RegioGreenTex
Project: RegioGreenTex
TCBL member: Katty Fashion, Citeve
Level: Advanced for businesses
What: Resource hub with useful webinars on circularity, systemic change, legislation, AI, that can be used to compose a training program; also a directory of expert service providers.
Interesting development of the “value circle” (vs chain) for circular economy.
https://platform.regiogreentex.eu/dashboards/knowledge-base
Local, bio-based and circular / HEREWEAR
Project: HEREWEAR
TCBL member: Cedecs-TCBL
Level: Advanced for businesses
What: Resource hub containing introductory guides, generative tools, replicable information about technologies, service platforms on the themes of biobased, local and circular.
https://herewear.tcbl.eu – Free for TCBL Community members
