The Revival Path of China's Textile Industry

Release time:

2019-01-10

Currently, China holds a leading position in the global textile industry, being not only the largest producer but also the country with the most complete industrial chain and the widest range of categories. Data shows that in 2017, China's chemical fiber production reached 49.1955 million tons, accounting for over 70% of the world's total; the output of garments from large-scale enterprises was 28.781 billion pieces, equivalent to providing 6.89 pieces of clothing for each person in the world. Referring to the current development trend of China's textile industry and the '13th Five-Year' development plan, Jiang Hui, president of the China Textile Import and Export Chamber of Commerce, stated that China's position as the world's largest textile exporter will last for a decade.

Currently, China occupies a leading position in the global textile industry, being not only the largest producer but also the country with the most complete industrial chain and the widest range of categories. Data shows that in 2017, China's chemical fiber production reached 49.1955 million tons, accounting for over 70% of the world's total; the output of clothing from large-scale enterprises was 28.781 billion pieces, equivalent to providing 6.89 pieces of clothing for each person in the world.

Referring to the current development trend of China's textile industry and the '13th Five-Year' development plan, Jiang Hui, president of the China Textile Import and Export Chamber of Commerce, stated that China's position as the world's largest textile exporter is unlikely to be overturned within the next decade.

With determination for revival, the development prospects of China's textile industry are 'bright'.

China has historically been a major country in silk and cotton textiles, holding an important position in the national economy. However, for a long time, China's textile industry did not form large-scale industrial production, leading to a rapid overtaking by other countries during the global industrial revolution. It was not until the late Qing Dynasty's Self-Strengthening Movement, driven by modern industrialists like Zhang Zhidong, that a truly modern textile industry began to sprout in China.

After more than a century of ups and downs, China's textile industry has developed rapidly. Especially from 1978 to 2018, China's economy underwent tremendous changes under the tide of reform and opening up. This period marks forty years of rapid development in China's economy and a revival history of the textile industry.

Driven by strong industrial technology development and expanding market demand, China's textile industry has rapidly developed, achieving sustained and rapid growth in industry scale and economic benefits, further solidifying its pillar position in the national economy. Statistical data shows that in 2017, the total output value of China's textile industry was more than 140 times that of 1978, the export scale of textiles and clothing was 127.4 times that of 1978, and the fiber processing volume was 54.3 million tons (excluding glass fiber), nearly 20 times that of 1978. China's position as the world's largest producer, consumer, and exporter of textiles is difficult to shake.

In the coming years, with steady growth in the national economy and continuous improvement in residents' income levels, expanding domestic demand and consumption upgrades will provide the greatest impetus for the development of China's textile industry. At the same time, under the combined effects of green development, consumption upgrades, new urbanization construction, and the comprehensive implementation of the two-child policy, the market development prospects of China's textile industry will be even broader. Sun Ruizhe, president of the China National Textile and Apparel Council, believes that the world economy is entering a new upward cycle, showing a trend of recovery, which provides an important window for the high-quality development of the textile industry.

The '13th Five-Year' development plan for the textile industry formulated by our country also clearly defines the overall development goal of maintaining rapid growth in the textile industry over the next five years. During the '13th Five-Year' period, the annual growth rate of industrial added value of large-scale textile enterprises in our country will be maintained at 6%-7%, and domestic residents' clothing and home textile consumption expenditure will grow at an annual rate of about 8%.

However, the reality is that although the development prospects of China's textile industry are bright, it currently faces many challenges such as 'insufficient innovation application, unbalanced supply and demand structure, and insufficient integration of production and finance'. Sun Ruizhe believes that to achieve high-quality development in the textile industry, continuous deepening of supply-side structural reforms is necessary to optimize the allocation of factors and improve the quality and quantity of economic growth.

Green development, building a green manufacturing system for the textile industry, and strengthening the concept of green consumption are the 'golden keys' to solving the current development problems in the industry. According to the goals of the textile industry '13th Five-Year' development plan, by 2020, the cumulative energy consumption per unit of industrial added value in domestic textile units will decrease by 18%, water consumption per unit of industrial added value will decrease by 23%, and the total emissions of major pollutants will decrease by 10%, achieving a continuous increase in the proportion of recycled textile fibers in the total fiber processing volume.

The green fiber industry is the 'power source' for China to become a strong textile nation.

'Green fiber' generally refers to dissolvable fibers, also known as Lyocell fibers or Tencel, which are made from renewable resources such as trees and bamboo, using N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMMO) as a solvent and employing clean processing technology, resulting in no pollution throughout the production process. The raw materials, production process, and products are all green and environmentally friendly, earning it the title of '21st-century green fiber' and making it a pioneering technology for implementing 'green development' in China's textile industry.

In addition, Tencel is also an excellent green fiber material that combines the performance advantages of both natural and synthetic fibers, exhibiting characteristics such as high dry and wet strength, high initial modulus, low shrinkage in water, and good dimensional stability, especially its breathability and comfort surpassing other fiber materials. Currently, Tencel is widely used in the global high-end fashion industry chain, with internationally renowned brands such as Zara, H&M, and NIKE being advocates of 'green fiber materials'. Furthermore, Zhao Xiangdong, vice president of the China Chemical Fiber Industry Association, stated that green fiber materials have a wide application market in various fields such as aerospace, aircraft manufacturing, rail transit, medical and health, beauty and skincare, and automotive interiors. In the national 13th Five-Year plan, Lyocell fiber has also been included as a key development direction for the bio-based fiber industry.

However, for a long time, the production technology of Tencel has been monopolized by foreign countries. Industry insiders indicate that within three to five years, the domestic annual demand is expected to reach about 1 million tons, while the current domestic production capacity is only 45,000 tons, which is far from meeting market demand. On the other hand, as the production technology of 'green fibers' matures, the market continues to expand, and green fibers may fully replace petroleum-based chemical fiber products, with annual demand expected to exceed 5 million tons, indicating a significant gap in China's green fiber market.

Seeing this market gap, some socially responsible enterprises in our country have begun to take action. Among them, Hubei Jinhui has introduced a new Lyocell cellulose fiber production line through cooperation with Austria's ONE-A company, obtaining the data, technical information, and proprietary technology needed for the design, construction, and operation of the factory, and has launched the Lyocell fiber production project in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration.

It is understood that the Hubei Jinhui Lyocell fiber project is currently the highest single-line production capacity and the most technologically advanced project in the country. Once the Hubei Jinhui Lyocell fiber industry cluster is formed, the annual output will reach 100,000 tons, which has a significant scale economy advantage compared to the 15,000 tons annual output of its peers. In addition, the project procures the latest generation of Lyocell fiber manufacturing technology developed by ONE-A company, with production quality at a global leading level. Currently, the first phase of the Hubei Jinhui Lyocell fiber project is being advanced in an orderly manner according to plan.

The Hubei Jinhui Lyocell fiber project, as an important part of Jinghan Co., Ltd.'s 'big health industry' investment, is a key component of the company's mission to 'make people's lives healthier'. The group has set long-term development goals for it. In the future, Jinghan Co., Ltd. will take the construction of the Lyocell fiber project as a starting point to build a nationally leading green fiber material industry cluster, establish a national 'green fiber material base', and achieve symbiosis and mutual prosperity with related industries, small town businesses, and real estate businesses in terms of resources and industries.

From the development goals set by Jinghan Co., Ltd. for the Hubei Jinhui Lyocell fiber project, it is expected that in 2022, the sales revenue of the Hubei Jinhui Lyocell fiber project will reach 3 billion yuan, with a net profit of 300 million yuan. By then, Hubei Jinhui should not be far from leading the development of the domestic green fiber industry.

COOKIES

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to personalize the advertising shown to you and to help you get the best experience on our website. For more information, see our Privacy & Cookie Policy

COOKIES

required

These cookies are necessary for basic functions such as payment. Standard cookies cannot be turned off and do not store any of your information.

analyze

These cookies collect information, such as how many people are using our site or which pages are popular, to help us improve the customer experience. Turning these cookies off will mean we can't collect information to improve your experience.

Feature

These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalization. They may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies, some or all of these services may not function properly.

advertise

These cookies help us understand what you are interested in so that we can show you relevant advertising on other websites. Turning these cookies off will mean we are unable to show you any personalized advertising.

Shantou Keyuan Loom Machinery Co., Ltd.

A scientific and technological private enterprise engaged in the research, development, production and sales of a series of webbing machinery and light industrial machinery products.

Address: Shuangfeng Industrial Zone, Heping Town, Chaoyang District, Shantou City, Guangdong Province, China

Telephone:86-754-87759337

E-Mail：zgp5187@163.com

Quick Navigation

Contact UsBlo

WeChat Public Number

Mobile phone official website