Türkiye’s textile and apparel industry has urged the government to seek urgent talks with Washington after the United States imposed an additional 12.5% tariff on covered Turkish imports, warning that the measure could weaken exporters in the highly competitive US market.
The new duty took effect at 12:01 a.m. US Eastern Time on July 24 under Section 301 of the US Trade Act of 1974. Due to the time difference, some Turkish reports identified July 25 as its effective date.
The measure is part of a broader US trade action imposing additional tariffs of between 10% and 12.5% on imports from 60 trading partners. Washington said the tariffs were introduced over concerns that the affected economies had failed to prevent goods linked to forced labour from entering their supply chains. The new duties cover most US imports, although several product categories are exempt.
For Turkish textile and apparel exporters, the 12.5% levy is generally added to the standard customs duty applicable to each product. The final tariff burden therefore varies according to the customs classification, origin and any applicable exemption.
Industry representatives said the additional cost comes at a particularly difficult time for Türkiye’s textile and clothing sectors, which are already facing high production costs, factory closures, declining employment and growing competition from lower-cost manufacturing countries.
Erdal Bahçıvan, Chairman of the Istanbul Chamber of Industry, described the decision as a “clear injustice” against Turkish textile and apparel manufacturers.
Bahçıvan said the new tariff would weaken Turkish exporters against competitors and argued that the decision was inconsistent with the principles of fair and reciprocal trade. He also questioned why Türkiye had been treated similarly to countries that consistently maintain large trade surpluses with the United States.
Turkish exporters call for equal treatment with EU competitors
Şeref Fayat, Chairman of the Apparel and Clothing Industry Council at the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye, said the additional tariff had placed Turkish manufacturers at a disadvantage against both European and Asian competitors.
According to Fayat, the new measure could raise the effective tariff burden on some Turkish textile and apparel products to around 29%, compared with approximately 16.5% for comparable imports from the European Union. The applicable total, however, differs by product.
Fayat said the widening tariff gap could erode Türkiye’s competitiveness against producers in the European Union as well as major Asian sourcing destinations including Bangladesh, Vietnam and Indonesia.
He added that officials from Türkiye’s Ministry of Trade and Ministry of Foreign Affairs were in contact with their US counterparts and expressed hope that negotiations would produce a positive result. At a minimum, he said, Türkiye should receive tariff treatment comparable to that granted to European Union countries.
The US market has become increasingly important to Turkish exporters as they attempt to diversify beyond traditional European destinations. The United States is also among Türkiye’s leading overall export markets, strengthening the commercial importance of resolving the tariff dispute.
Türkiye exported $26.2 billion worth of textiles, apparel and clothing in 2025, according to figures from the Turkish Exporters Assembly. Apparel and clothing accounted for $16.8 billion, while textiles and raw materials contributed $9.4 billion.
Exports from these sectors to the United States reached approximately $1.4 billion, representing 5.3% of Türkiye’s total textile and clothing exports. Although the share remains limited, the American market offers considerable growth potential because the United States imports more than $100 billion worth of textiles and apparel annually.
Türkiye also ranked as the world’s fifth-largest exporter of textiles and raw materials in 2025, behind China, the European Union, India and the United States. The country held an estimated 3.3% share of global exports, with technical textiles, woven fabrics, home textiles and knitted fabrics among its principal product categories.
Read More: Turkish Textile Exports Reach $4.7 Billion in H1 2026 Despite Global Challenges
Laleli businesses voice frustration over tariff decision
The US decision has also generated frustration among manufacturers and traders in Istanbul’s Laleli district, one of Türkiye’s best-known textile and apparel trading centres.
Gıyasettin Eyyüpkoca, Chairman of the Laleli Industrialists and Businesspeople Association, said the industry felt betrayed by the decision.
“We got stabbed in the back by a friend,” Eyyüpkoca said, referring to US President Donald Trump’s repeated descriptions of Türkiye as a friendly country.
He said exporters were already struggling to remain competitive and warned that the additional duty would place another significant burden on companies. Eyyüpkoca called on President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to raise the matter at the highest political level and seek a reversal of the decision.
Tariff arrives amid factory closures and job losses
The tariff dispute comes as Türkiye’s textile and apparel industries face one of their most difficult periods in recent years.
High inflation, rising labour and energy costs, financing pressures and exchange-rate conditions have reduced manufacturers’ margins. Some Turkish producers have shifted part of their production to lower-cost locations, with Egypt emerging as a major alternative.
Figures from Türkiye’s Social Security Institution indicate that 1,011 textile companies closed between December 2024 and May 2026, reducing the number of businesses operating in the sector to 18,450. Textile employment declined by 41,086 during the same period.
The contraction was more severe in apparel manufacturing, where 4,766 companies closed and employment fell by 80,686.
Together, Türkiye’s textile and apparel industries lost 5,777 companies and 121,772 jobs during the 18 months to May 2026. Total employment losses across the two industries reportedly exceeded 300,000 over the past three years.
Industry representatives now fear that reduced access to the US market could add further pressure to an industry already struggling to protect production, employment and its position in global supply chains.
