“ATP - Associação Têxtil e Vestuário de Portugal” (Textile and Clothing Association of Portugal) is an employers’ association that ca. 500 companies from the entire Portuguese textile and clothing sector. Altogether, these companies are responsible for more than 35,000 jobs, and a turnover of 3,000 million Euros; two thirds of this value represents exports.
“ATP” was the result of a merger between APIM (the Portuguese Knitting and Clothes Manufacturing Industries Association) and APT (the Portuguese Textile and Clothing Association), which took place in July 2003. ATP has become not only the biggest organization representing the Portuguese Textile and Clothing Sector, but also one of the most important in Europe. This proves the importance the Textile and Clothing Industry still has in the Portuguese economy, providing around 11% of the GVA and 20% of the employment in the manufacturing industry, 5,063 million Euros of exports, 10% of the national total exports.
Recently, ATP has merged again, this time with ANET (the National Textile Companies Association, formerly the Textile Wholesalers Association), pursuing therefore its strategy of concentration and strengthening of the textile sector. The Association now represents all commercial and industrial activities of the textile and clothing business.