Industrial Networks
Carolina Textile District
Carolina Textile District connects makers, designers, and entrepreneurs to a reliable domestic supply chain in order to make quality products here at home.
We are committed to empowering workers and supporting local communities through secure, meaningful jobs, and we aspire to economic, environmental, and social sustainability in every aspect of our work. By facilitating active collaboration between makers and manufacturers across Western North Carolina and ensuring an ethical, values-based process, we are reimagining the future of the American textile industry.
COLLECTION
An initiative by the Carolina Textile District, unites North Carolina manufacturers who share a commitment to more than just producing goods.
Buying from COLLECTION means investing in ethical production practices, creating valuable jobs, and contributing to the revival of a region.
The Engine
TIC has won the U.S. National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engine Award
The U.S. National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) award “NSF Engines: North Carolina Textile Innovation and Sustainability Engine” will advance our nation’s capacity for innovations in textiles that maintains a lens of environmental sustainability and with an eye toward circularity, positioning the Engine as a global leader in this sector.
In 10 years, our engine will:
Research and Development:
Increase U.S. circular products by 5%,
Support the creation of 50 new aligned businesses
Shift 200 businesses (20% of the industry) into circular production
Translation of Innovation:
Convert 200M pounds of the region’s waste into circular goods
Assist 150 national brands in reaching total circularity for 250 leading product lines
Workforce Development:
Grow circular textile employment in the region by 10%,
Retain 10,000 jobs in the textile and related sectors,
Create 5,000 new jobs in the textile circular economy