China’s “future textile” era may have already arrived.

Once synonymous with “tradition,” China’s textile industry is now entering a new five-year period. As home textiles and services—integrated with cutting-edge technologies such as environmental protection, energy efficiency, and smart innovations—are making their way into the market, China’s “textile of the future” era may have already arrived.
Yang Zhaohua, Vice President of the China National Textile and Apparel Council and President of the China Home Textiles Industry Association, stated at the inaugural China (International) Textile Sunshade and Energy-Saving Technology Summit Forum held in Hangzhou on the 10th that, after more than a year of effort, the outline of the “13th Five-Year Plan” for the development of China’s home textile industry has been formulated. Over the next five years, as one of the three major end-use industries in the textile sector, China’s home textile industry will become “a traditional Chinese livelihood industry, a creative industry that combines technology and art, and a fashion industry dedicated to creating a better life.” It will play an important role in boosting domestic demand, promoting employment, and building an ecological civilization.
He said that during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the growth targets for the home textile industry are as follows: average annual growth of 5.5% in main revenue, average annual growth of 3.2% in exports, and average annual growth of 1.68% in fiber consumption. As for technological innovation, the goals include boosting labor productivity by 10%, widely adopting internet technologies, and increasing the level of automation.
Weng Maozhong, Vice President of the Taiwan Textile Industry Development Exhibition, stated that after decades of development and growth, Taiwan’s textile industry has become a fully integrated production system within Taiwan’s industrial structure. Energy-efficient and environmentally friendly textiles, in particular, have attracted considerable attention from overseas buyers. The Taiwanese textile industry remains Taiwan’s fourth-largest foreign-exchange-earning sector. In 2015, Taiwan’s textile exports totaled US$10.803 billion, with energy-efficient textiles accounting for 68% of the total textile export value, demonstrating strong market competitiveness.
He said that the current development direction for Taiwan’s home textile industry is to leverage high technology to enhance product added value, closely integrating the traditional textile industry with cutting-edge technologies—particularly by focusing on eco-friendly and energy-efficient textiles as the primary growth area.
Sun Yuehua, Chairwoman of Zhejiang Huachen New Materials Co., Ltd., a major Chinese manufacturer of functional shading home textiles, stated at the forum that home textiles have now entered a new era characterized by the close integration of textile technology with energy conservation and environmental protection. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the application of functional home textiles has become increasingly widespread. In developed countries in Europe and the United States, "textiles of the future" have been elevated to the level of national strategy. Once synonymous with "traditional" manufacturing, the textile industry is now gradually merging with new concepts such as advanced materials, energy efficiency, environmental protection, and smart furniture. Functional home textiles featuring characteristics like eco-friendliness, energy efficiency, breathability, flame retardancy, sound insulation, thermal insulation, UV resistance, antibacterial properties, mold prevention and odor control, radiation protection, antistatic performance, and water resistance are rapidly emerging in the Chinese market. Experts believe that functional home textiles will bring profound changes to urban areas, industries, and human life.
Sun Yuehua stated that although functional home textiles represent only a small “slice” of China’s home textile market, as Chinese consumers gain a deeper understanding of functional textiles, we can make this “slice” bigger, stronger, and even better. The market outlook is extremely promising.