Three-Quarters of Linen Long Fiber Comes from Western Europe | Reading Flax-Producing Regions

Linen, familiar from summer shirts and kitchen cloths, is a fiber taken from the stalk of the flax plant. Its production areas are surprisingly limited. Using published data from the European industry organization Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp, formerly CELC, we look at the raw material situation for linen.

A long, narrow production area stretching from northern France

According to the organization, about three-quarters of the world’s long flax fibers used for clothing and other items are produced in three countries: France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Cultivation areas are concentrated in a coastal belt that runs from the Brittany region of France to the Netherlands.

In 2024, Europe’s planted area reached 185,849 hectares, exceeding the 2020 record by about 20,000 hectares and setting a new all-time high. The breakdown was France 162,124 hectares, Belgium 20,156 hectares, and the Netherlands 3,569 hectares, with France accounting for nearly 90%. In 2023, Europe’s long fiber production was 140,000 tons, of which 122,000 tons came from France.

Grown without irrigation, with fibers loosened in the field

The organization explains that European flax is not irrigated from sowing to harvest except in exceptional cases. The cut stems are spread out in the field and processed using “dew retting,” in which dew, rain, and microorganisms help separate the fibers from the stems. Because this depends on the weather, yields and quality vary from year to year.

Key numbers
About three quarters of long flax fiber comes from three countries: France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. In 2024, Europe’s planted area reached a record high of 185,849 hectares. Even so, flax accounts for only about 0.3% of global fiber production (Textile Exchange, 2024).

According to Textile Exchange, flax production in 2024 was about 300,000 tons, accounting for about 0.3% of global fiber production. With polyester making up about 59%, linen remains a very small presence. For more on Europe’s textile policy, see our article on the EU Digital Product Passport as well. Precisely because this material comes from limited production areas, information about where it was grown has meaning.

References: Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp, Textile Exchange

—The Value Village Editorial Team