Wenzhou's first national circular economy standardization pilot project—the "standardization" pilot for textile waste recycling in Wangli Town, Cangnan—has passed the review and acceptance procedures organized by relevant national authorities and is awaiting official announcement. The pilot was launched on January 18, 2024. Over more than a year, participating enterprises have cumulatively participated in the formulation and application for certification of 28 standards, including the Wenzhou Textile Waste Recycling Standard System Construction Guide (2024 Edition) and 10 industry-related standards, completed 9 comprehensive green and low-carbon certifications, and 8 enterprises obtained GRS international certification. After the pilot was implemented, the total output value of industrial enterprises above designated size in Wangli Town exceeded 2 billion yuan for the first time in history in 2024.

Key Points

  • In 2024, China's textile waste recovery volume was 4.15 million tons, of which about 2 million tons were reused in Cangnan, accounting for nearly 50% of the national total.
  • Yiyun Textile's annual output value increased from 50 million yuan in 2022 to over 100 million yuan in 2024, and from January to August 2025 it totaled 111 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 39%.
  • Wangli Town added 5 new industrial enterprises above designated size in 2024, and the recycling volume of textile waste increased by nearly 15% year-on-year.

From Fabric Scraps to Recycled Canvas

In the Wangli Town Textile Waste Recycling Industrial Park, in the five-story factory building of Cangnan County Yiyun Textile Co., Ltd., discarded fabric scraps cut by garment factories from all over the country are made into recycled canvas through processes such as opening, spinning, and weaving. Huang Jingtie, chairman of the company, introduced that recycled canvas is widely used in end products such as labor protection supplies, sofas, shoe materials, and canvas bags; the company also uses recycled canvas as a raw material to produce its own canvas bag products.

In response to the past problem of inconsistent hair shedding and pilling levels due to the lack of an industry standard for hair removal rate, during the pilot period the company led the formulation of the Test Method for Hair Removal Rate of Reprocessed Fiber Products, summarized the ratio relationship between cotton and polyester in recycled canvas, and filled a domestic technical gap. In the past two years, the company invested more than 20 million yuan and introduced more than 100 air-jet looms to improve product quality.

From Passively Struggling to Survive to Actively Taking Orders

Huang Jingtie's younger brother, Huang Jingsheng, head of Wenzhou Lüteng Cotton Textile Co., Ltd., is also engaged in this industry in Wangli. Lüteng Cotton Textile was awarded the "Product Carbon Footprint Certificate" in August 2024. In November 2024, its "Annual Treatment of 7,000 Tons of Textile Waste Resource Recycling Project" was selected for the fourth batch of key cultivation projects for pollution reduction and carbon reduction in Zhejiang Province, and its case was published on the "China Environment" website on September 17, 2025. According to professional estimates, every 1 kilogram of textile waste recycled can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 3.6 kilograms, and Lüteng's annual treatment of 7,000 tons corresponds to a carbon reduction of 25,200 tons.

Huang Jingsheng mentioned that from March to April 2024, a large global knitwear OEM contacted Lüteng Cotton Textile proactively three times in a row to discuss business for consuming discarded fabric scraps. Lüteng Cotton Textile is the drafter of 5 standards, including the national industry standard Recycled Yarn for Woven Fabrics and the local standard Technical Specification for Carbon Footprint Evaluation of Recycled Products (Canvas). Huang Jingsheng said that in the past, due to the lack of standards and green certification, they could only passively struggle to survive; now standardized production has become a "passport" for enterprises to access international markets.

Overall Industry Data

Cangnan County has more than 2,400 textile production enterprises. According to Lin Zhaohuang, member of the Party Committee and deputy mayor of Wangli Town, after the pilot was launched, leading enterprises joined standard formulation to establish a comprehensive standard system for products, equipment, and processes. In 2024, the total output value of industrial enterprises above designated size in Wangli Town exceeded 2 billion yuan for the first time; the annual industrial output value of three enterprises—Yiyun Textile, Lüteng Cotton Textile, and Jiafa Rib Technology—each exceeded 100 million yuan for the first time; 5 new enterprises above designated size were added; the recycling volume of textile waste increased by nearly 15% year-on-year, and total output increased by more than 15%; through technological innovation, new product development, and green and low-carbon certification, the overall added value of the industry increased by 5%.

From January to August 2025, the total output value of industrial enterprises above designated size in Wangli Town was 1.463 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 8.8%; R&D expenses invested were 54.665 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 20.44%, with an intensity of 4.01%. After local textile waste is processed into recycled cotton yarn, it is further made into clothing, cleaning supplies, pet supplies, and other goods, sold to more than 120 countries and regions worldwide, with an annual output value of nearly 10 billion yuan.

For the used clothing recycling and recycled cotton industry, Wangli's path shows that from disorderly development and being rectified due to pollution problems, to gaining market voice through participation in the formulation of national, local, and group standards and green and low-carbon certification, standardization is becoming the key support for the normalization of the traditional recycling industry, enhancing added value, and meeting international procurement requirements.

Source: Stand Tall, Cangnan's Recycled Cotton Industry Makes a Comeback! · Originally published on 2025-09-30