Hot Topic in China's Textile Industry 2025: Green Transformation

In 2025, global climate governance has entered a critical phase, with green development transitioning from an industry "bonus point" to an absolute "necessity" for survival and growth. Against the dual backdrop of rising international green barriers and escalating domestic transformation demands, China's textile industry is breaking through challenges through systemic reforms. By leveraging multiple pathways such as the realization of environmental rights value, full-chain ESG governance, and technological innovation, the industry is turning environmental constraints into core competitiveness and seizing opportunities in the global green race.

Driven by both policy and market forces, the assetization of environmental rights has become a key breakthrough for the industry's transformation. As carbon emission rights, water usage rights trading systems are gradually refined, and the CCER market rapidly expands, the results of enterprises' technological upgrades and emission reductions are being transformed into tangible economic gains. For instance, Honggang Textile transferred 260,000 cubic meters of water usage rights through water-saving technological upgrades, marking Fujian Province's first cross-industry water rights trade and demonstrating the commercial value of green transformation. On another front, transition finance is precisely targeted—guided by the Green Finance Support Project Directory (2025 Edition), innovative practices such as the "Textile Transition Loan" in Huzhou, Zhejiang, and the "Carbon Footprint" financial services for the textile industry in Shaoxing are directly linking corporate green performance with financing costs, injecting financial vitality into the low-carbon transformation of traditional textile enterprises.

The concept of full-chain green governance is deeply penetrating the industry, driving the transformation from isolated breakthroughs to systemic upgrades. Facing regulatory constraints such as the EU's CSDDD and ESPR, companies are no longer passively responding but proactively embedding ESG principles throughout the supply chain process. Bosideng joined the ZDHC Alliance and set a goal of zero emissions of hazardous chemicals in its supply chain by 2030, while Jialinjie became the first mainland Chinese partner of the Bluesign®system. Industry leaders like Anta and Lutai have taken the lead in adopting the China Textile Federation’s CSC9000T (2025 Edition) system, establishing a full-chain responsibility framework covering chemical management, production processes, and labor rights. The Digital Product Passport (DPP) has become a critical tool for breaking through international trade barriers. The release of the 2025 China Textile Industry DPP White Paper and the launch of pilot projects in Nanchong, Sichuan, are creating a "green Resume" for textiles across their entire lifecycle, ensuring early compliance with EU mandatory requirements by 2027.

Technological innovation and model reconstruction have become the core engines of the green transformation. A material revolution is reshaping product ecosystems from the source: JNBY introduced new apparel using bio-based "Brewed Protein™" fibers, Jialinjie achieved closed-loop recycling of waste polyester through chemical methods, and Shenghong developed fluorine-free production technology and established dedicated production lines, significantly reducing the environmental footprint of its products. Carbon management has evolved from passive accounting to a competitive advantage: Keqiao established the nation's first textile carbon footprint management platform, driving an average 7% reduction in corporate carbon emission intensity and a 23% increase in export orders against the trend. Jinjiang formed specialized task forces to provide precise guidance to companies like Anta and 361°. Enterprises in Wujiang collaborated to achieve international certification for the carbon footprint of nylon fabrics, demonstrating the immense potential of industry chain collaboration in carbon reduction.

From environmental rights trading to green supply chain governance, from digital traceability to material innovation, China's textile industry in 2025 is undergoing a profound green transformation. This shift not only empowers enterprises to take the initiative in the face of global green barriers but also drives the industry's transition from scale expansion to high-quality development. As more companies embed sustainability into their business models, China's textile industry is poised to write a new chapter in green development amid the waves of the global economy.