Key Points

  • China's chemical fiber output accounts for over 75% of global total output, with total chemical fiber exports reaching 7.62 million tons in 2025
  • The world generates over 90 million tons of waste clothing annually, with only about 1% effectively utilized
  • A total of 39 enterprises have obtained green fiber certification, and the chemical recycling route has achieved industrialization

Chen Xinwei, Vice President of the China National Textile and Apparel Council, disclosed while reviewing the chemical fiber industry's development during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period that China's chemical fiber output accounts for over 75% of global total output, with the industry's core supporting role continuously consolidated. At the same time, the shortcomings in waste textile recycling and reuse remain prominent—the world generates over 90 million tons of waste clothing annually, with only about 1% effectively utilized.

Scale: Revenue Steady Above 1 Trillion Yuan, Exports Hit New Highs

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the operating revenue of chemical fiber enterprises above designated size remained above 1 trillion yuan, growing over 30% compared to 2020, with an average annual growth of 5.45%; chemical fiber output reached 77.93 million tons, up 29.34% from 2020, with an average annual growth of 5.28%. In terms of exports, total chemical fiber exports reached 7.62 million tons in 2025, up 63.53% from 2020, with an average annual growth of 10.34%. Breakthroughs were also made on the raw material side: adiponitrile broke foreign monopolies, significantly reducing import dependence; purified terephthalic acid achieved self-sufficiency and rapidly expanded into international markets, with exports reaching 3.82 million tons in 2025, up 350.78% from 2020.

Technology: Digitalization Rate Rises, Functional Fibers Continue to Break Through

The chemical fiber industry is shifting from "scale-oriented" to "innovation-driven." Preparation technologies for functional fibers such as ultra-fine denier, flame-retardant, antistatic, and phase-change temperature-regulating fibers continue to be optimized, and bio-based fiber products and application technologies have been further advanced. From 2021 to 2025, a total of 67 chemical fiber projects won the "Textile Light" Science and Technology Award, 1 chemical fiber project won the National Technology Invention Award, and 4 projects won the China Patent Excellence Award. In terms of intelligent manufacturing, the industry's digital R&D and design tool penetration rate reached 85%, and the numerical control rate of key processes exceeded 70%, initially establishing a trinity intelligent manufacturing system of "intelligent equipment + industrial internet + green standards."

Green: Lyocell Grows Over 30% Annually, Recycling Routes Advance on Multiple Fronts

The proportion of green fibers has been increasing year by year. Lyocell fiber, which uses wood as raw material, has seen an average annual production growth rate exceeding 30% in recent years. In terms of energy conservation and emission reduction, from 2020 to 2022, the total energy consumption of the chemical fiber industry grew 11.85% year-on-year, but coal consumption declined 6.13% year-on-year, while natural gas and purchased electricity consumption grew 11.11% and 11.56% year-on-year respectively. In terms of recycling, the number of standardized recycled fiber production enterprises has increased, with a total of 39 enterprises obtaining green fiber certification. The chemical recycling route represented by Zhejiang Jiaren New Materials Co., Ltd. has achieved industrialization, the biological recycling route is being advanced, and high-quality bottle flake spun recycled polyester has gained market recognition.

Significance to the Industry

Chen Xinwei pointed out that the resource recovery chain is crucial for textiles. If waste textile recycling and reuse can be carried out on a large scale, it will significantly promote the development of China's chemical fiber industry. During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, the industry will list efficient resource recycling as one of its key directions. For participants in the waste textile recycling and regeneration segment, this means that the technology route choices and raw material structure of upstream chemical fiber production capacity will form closer linkages with the recycling end.

Source: China Textile Planning Institute - Intelligent Decision Service Cloud Platform · Originally published on 2026-06-30