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Argentina’s Textile Industry Pushes Legislation Amid Possible Market Crisis
By Estudio Chaloupka
According to industry reports, during the second quarter of 2025, roughly half of textile firms in Argentina experienced year-on-year declines in revenue, averaging a seven percent drop. Over the past two years, these losses have accumulated, reaching nearly 28 percent, while employment has contracted at a rate of about 1,500 formal jobs per month.
In response to these challenges, the Cámara Argentina de la Indumentaria (CIAI) issued a press release outlining a legislative proposal aimed at regulating imports from ultra-fast fashion platforms. The initiative seeks to establish a level playing field for local producers, ensuring that imported garments comply with the same standards and regulations as domestic products. The CIAI emphasizes measures including certifications of origin, environmental audits, toxicity checks, and aligned taxation, with enforcement overseen by Argentina’s National Administration of Drugs, Foods and Medical Devices (ANMAT).
The proposed legislation draws inspiration from a 2023 French law that introduced ecological taxes on garments, prohibited advertising that promotes fast-fashion consumption, and mandated labeling to indicate environmental impact. The proposal mirrors this approach, emphasizing environmental accountability and public health alongside the protection of domestic industry.
The context for the proposal is multifaceted. Ultra-fast fashion platforms have significantly disrupted the local market by offering discounted apparel. Coupled with broader economic pressures, including currency volatility and recessionary trends, these imports have intensified the challenges faced by local textile manufacturers. Industry representatives have also highlighted the impact of Argentina’s complex tax structure.
Similar regulatory efforts are underway across Latin America, with countries such as Mexico, Ecuador, Chile, Uruguay, and Colombia introducing measures to manage the influx of low-cost, imported garments.
Estudio Chaloupka
Estudio Chaloupka Industrial Property is a professional firm specialized in Intellectual Property, existing as of more than 50 years (under different names), with a staff of professionals with a high level of technical and legal expertise in trademarks, patents, models and industrial designs, copyright, software, licensing, domain names and litigation.
The firm provides its clients - pertaining to the fields of pharmaceuticals, chemicals including agrochemicals, banking, luxury goods, equipment and supplies for the oil industry, footwear, garments, food and drinks, hotels- with a complete range of intellectual property services not only in Argentina but also throughout the world.
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