report on China's circular fashion industry was released: calling for joint promotion of the circular development of the textile and garment industry
20 October 2020,China Textile Industry Federation Social Responsibility Office,Alan·MacArthur FoundationandLanjing Groupjointly published 《Cycle Fashion: China's New Textile Economy Outlookreport.
, driven by the growing call for sustainable development and the industry's urgent need for new development opportunities, the fashion industry is rethinking the way textile and garment manufacturing, consumption and processing. Circular fashion is an industrial system solution that different stakeholders are actively promoting to achieve sustainable industrial development-in accordance with the principles of circular economy, fibers, textiles and clothing are designed, produced, used and recycled to maximize their value, reduce resource consumption and waste generation, and reshape a more responsible and resilient industrial future.
China has been vigorously promoting circular economy since the 11th Five-Year Plan period. Under the guidance of the national circular development strategy, the circular transformation of China's textile and garment industry has made phased progress, and has initially formed the basic characteristics of its own circular development. The optimization of raw material structure, the improvement of resource utilization rate in manufacturing links, and the recycling of waste textiles are the three key areas of industry recycling practice.
specifically, the proportion of recycled fiber processing in China has been increasing, from 9.6 in 2010 to 11.3 in 2015, with a preliminary estimate of more than 7 million tons in 2018. A variety of bio-based chemical fibers have also achieved industrial development and have been applied in different fields such as clothing, home textiles, medical treatment and health care. The level of energy saving and resource recycling in textile manufacturing has also been significantly improved, A large number of new technologies have been broken through and widely used; the industrial chain of recycling, sorting and comprehensive utilization of waste textiles has been basically completed, the activity of "zero abandonment of old clothes" has been carried out continuously, and the extended producer responsibility system has also begun to be practiced at the enterprise level. According to incomplete statistics, in 2018, the proportion of resource utilization of waste textiles in China reached 17%.
In recent years, the design and consumption links have also shown a new trend that is conducive to the transformation of the industrial cycle. Green design-related practices are gradually increasing, and sustainable consumption trends are beginning to emerge, with some consumers turning to green textile and apparel consumption. A survey of 5002 consumers in 2019 showed that more than 67% of consumers are concerned about sustainable products, and about 26% of consumers say they are more than concerned and will buy specifically. Consumers' awareness of second-hand clothing/clothing leasing is also increasing, and some new business models such as leasing, sharing, second-hand reselling and other services are also beginning to rise.
, on the whole, due to the large volume and scale, many kinds of products and long industrial chain, the circular transformation of China's textile and clothing industry is still in the initial stage of development. Circular practice includes the replacement scale of non-renewable raw materials, the level of resource utilization in manufacturing, the recycling of waste textiles, and the design and consumption based on the principles of circular economy. With the increasing pressure on resources and the environment, it is imperative for China's textile and garment industry to accelerate the cycle transformation and expand the scale of related practices.
accelerate the circular transformation of the industry, it is necessary to take targeted measures from different dimensions such as technology, policy, market and awareness, unify the vision and objectives of circular development, clarify the main responsibilities of all stakeholders, and promote the joint cooperation of all links in the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain. "Circular Fashion: China's New Textile Economic Outlook" puts forward the vision of China's new textile economy, as well as five major goals based on raw materials, design, manufacturing, consumption and waste links to carry out system transformation.
specifically include:
Objective 1: To further optimize the structure of raw materials and reduce the consumption of non-renewable resources.
Goal 2. Shift to textile design based on circular economy principles.
Objective 3: To further improve the resource efficiency of the manufacturing process.
Goal 4: Innovate business models and expand green consumption.
Goal 5. Promote the upgrading of waste textile recycling.
, 2020, at the "Sustainability and Circular Economy" session of the International Federation of Textile Weavers 2020, Yan Yan, Director of the Social Responsibility Office of the China Textile Industry Federation, introduced the core findings of the report.
noted, "The epidemic has made people think deeply about the relationship between man and nature. China's textile and garment industry is speeding up the construction of a green circular low-carbon industrial system, based on the global value chain to promote the transformation and upgrading of the industry, in order to achieve a more responsible and resilient future development of the industry. This research has a history of nearly one year, systematically combing the circular practice and achievements of China's textile and garment industry since 2005, and based on international practice and trend, this paper expounds and looks forward to the future opportunities of China's industry. I believe it can provide a useful reference for the industry to explore the way of circular development."
Alan·MacArthur Foundation"Cycle Fashion Initiative"Project LeaderFrancois Souchetpointed out: "Circular fashion creates opportunities for industries to deal with waste and pollution problems and for long-term more dynamic development. In the system of circular fashion, textile and clothing are composed of safe and renewable materials, the service life of the product is extended, and the waste can be returned to the production and consumption side through reuse, remanufacturing, etc. As the momentum of global circular fashion continues to grow, the release of Circular Fashion: China's New Textile Economy marks an exciting milestone that not only highlights that China's fashion industry can lay a solid foundation for global circular transformation, but also looks forward to the vision and goals of the industry's accelerated development in the future. "
Austria's Lanjing Group: only through full cooperation with the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain can we achieve the goal of sustainable and circular development. Therefore, Lanjing is very happy to participate in the cooperative research and report of "circular fashion: China's new textile economic outlook. Starting from a global perspective, the report focuses on the circular transformation of the fashion industry. Through a large number of research, case studies and data analysis, the report combs the innovative practices of international circular fashion and the current situation and opportunities of China's fashion industry, and provides systematic thinking and forward-looking planning solutions for all stakeholders in the value chain.
development of circular economy is an important way for China's textile and garment industry to achieve high-quality development. In recent years, various uncertainties have increased the difficulty and risks of the world economic recovery, and the global outbreak of novel coronavirus pneumonia in early 2020 has exacerbated the fragility of the global business environment. The highly internationalized textile and garment industry is facing severe challenges. In the new era of increasingly complex environment, different stakeholders of China's textile and garment industry, including government departments, enterprises, designers, associations and research institutions, as well as consumers, should be based on the global value chain under the common vision of circular development, carry out larger-scale and deeper coordination and cooperation, seize new growth opportunities, and build a more resilient industrial value chain.
China Textile Industry Federation Social Responsibility Office
China Textile Industry Federation, formerly known as the Ministry of the People's Republic of China Textile Industry, is a national textile and garment industry organization. In 2005, the social responsibility office of China Textile Industry Federation was established, which is the first national social responsibility permanent organization. Its main responsibility is to establish and improve the public governance platform of industry social responsibility and lead the sustainable development of the industry.
In 2015, the Social Responsibility Office of the China Textile Industry Federation formulated the social responsibility development goals of China's textile industry, covering 12 indicators in the three dimensions of economy, society and environment. In order to implement the development goal of industrial social responsibility, the social responsibility office of China Textile Industry Federation cooperates with the government, institutions and relevant enterprises to promote the sustainable innovation pioneer project, promote the sustainable development of the industry from four topics: chemicals, water management, carbon emission and climate change, and circular economy, and establish the green manufacturing industry innovation alliance of textile supply chain to accelerate sustainable innovation and cooperation.
Ellen MacArthur Foundationis a UK-based charity dedicated to advancing the circular economy to tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time, such as waste, pollution and climate change. In a circular economy, nothing becomes waste, everything has value and can create benefits for society, the environment and the economy. The Foundation and its strategic partners BlackRock, Danone, DS Smith, Google, H & M Group, Intesa Sanpaolo, IKEA, Philips (Philips), Renault (Renault), Johnson (SC Johnson), Solvay (Solvay), Unilever (Unilever) the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation, SUN, the MAVA Foundation and a wider network of companies, governments, institutions and cities, universities, emerging entrepreneurs, etc. work together to explore opportunities and develop circular economy plans.
In May 2017, the "Circular Fashion Initiative" was launched as the "Circular Fiber Initiative" at the Copenhagen Fashion Summit. The initiative, which brings together industry leaders including Burberry,Gap Inc.,H & M Group,HSBC,PVH and Stella McCartney as core partners, seeks to drive collaboration between industry leaders and other key stakeholders to reshape the fashion economy for the 21st century. The goal of the initiative is to ensure that clothing is made of safe and renewable materials. New business models will increase the service life of clothing and turn old clothes into new clothes. This new fashion economy will benefit business, society and the environment.
Austria Lanjing Group
Lenzing Group is one of the world's leading producers of wood pulp and cellulose fiber. It was founded in Austria in 1938. It has production bases in major markets around the world, and has sales and market networks around the world. Lanjing's product line ranges from dissolved pulp to cellulose fiber, which is the main raw material, as well as bio-based energy, biorefinery products and by-products. It has TENCEL™, Tencel™, REFIBRA™, Yuefifi™, LENZING™, ECOVERO™, Rankine™, Huansheng™, VEOCEL™, Weiyi Silk™ and other brands.
's business model is not limited to traditional fiber producers. The Lanjing Group also works with customers and partners to develop innovative products around all aspects of the value chain to create added value for consumers. The Lanjing Group strives to achieve the efficient use and processing of all raw materials, and provides solutions to assist the textile industry in adjusting its direction and achieving a closed-loop economy.
