UIT, which represents 2,200 companies in France involved in knitting, weaving, finishing and other textile activities, has warned shortages of raw material, supply disruption, delivery delays and price increases are likely because the effects of slowdowns and shutdowns, caused in the last year by covid-19, are slowly beginning to be felt across the world.

Suppliers’ ability to mitigate this is coming to an end, UIT said, because companies have been drawing on raw material inventory that they and their partners had in stock and that stock is now close to being used up.

With demand for textiles picking up now, the organisation warned that the price of linen, cotton, polyester and other fibres has been rising for the last five months. At the same time, it claimed, the cost of maritime freight is now five times higher than a year ago.

Specifically, UIT said the price of polyester is between 50% and 80% higher than a year ago and the price of recycled polyester fibre 60% higher. Cotton is now 35% more expensive than five months ago, while organic cotton is double the price it was a year ago. Linen has risen in price by 25% since September while wool is now 10% higher than it was then.

Italian tanning industry association UNIC has also warned that the cost of raw materials has risen in an “almost unreasonable way” over recent weeks with the price of large bovine hides rising 13% since the start of the year. It said the price of bull skins has almost doubled in six months.

It added chemicals groups have also raised prices on tanning auxiliaries this month, due to raw materials shortages and transport issues - adding to cost pressures.

UNIC said this is alarming given that Italy’s leather sector turnover and exports were down a quarter in 2020. It called on supply chain partners to “share responsibility, to try to maintain all market positions” while waiting for conditions to stabilise.