Beijing, July 1st (Reporter Ruan Yulin) "In the era of the global trend of promoting green development through the collaboration of the entire industrial chain, China's textile industry is advancing with unprecedented determination and action, actively innovating, clearly defining the path of reduction in emissions, and accelerating the pace of transformation." Yang Chao, the director of the China Green Carbon Fund, said that the textile industry is a traditional pillar industry of the national economy, an important livelihood industry, and an internationally competitive industry. The green and low-carbon transformation of the textile industry is of strategic significance for China to achieve the dual carbon goals.

China is the world's largest producer, exporter, and consumer of textiles and clothing, and China's sustainable practices directly affect the transformation process of the global fashion industry. According to data from the United Nations Environment Programme, the carbon emissions of the textile and clothing industry account for 10% of the global total carbon emissions, exceeding the total of international aviation and maritime transport. Our country's peak carbon dioxide emissions and carbon neutrality strategy is not only a policy requirement but also a historical opportunity for industrial upgrading.

According to the “Feasibility Study Report on Investment in Renewable Energy for Decarbonization of China's Textile Industry” released by institutions such as the China Textile Information Center, China's textile fiber processing volume accounts for more than 50% of the global total, and the annual carbon emissions of the textile industry account for about 2% of the total national carbon emissions, with the main source of industrial carbon emissions coming from energy use.

Sun Ruizhe, President of the China Textile Industry Federation, said at the “2025 Climate Innovation & Fashion Conference” held in Beijing recently that green development has profoundly changed the value core of the fashion industry. In design innovation, brand shaping, and consumer guidance, ecological wisdom and fashion expression are deeply integrated, and abstract green concepts are transformed into specific product forms and lifestyles. Digital fashion has become a new carrier for the dissemination of green concepts, and the ESG concept has constructed a new system of brand value, forming a new aesthetic paradigm of 'sustainable fashion'.

Related data shows that from 2005 to 2022, China's textile industry has reduced its emission intensity by more than 60%, and continued to decline by 14% in the past two years, contributing continuously to global climate governance with Chinese solutions and textile wisdom. Sun Ruizhe said that the green development of China's textile industry has a significant impact, involves many aspects, and is at the forefront. From end-of-pipe treatment to full-chain optimization, from linear consumption to circular utilization, 'carbon reduction, pollution reduction, greening, and growth' are developed integrally, and the system is promoted.

“To promote climate innovation, we need to grasp the logic and trend of this transformation and carry out more in-depth practice.” Sun Ruizhe proposed: First, improve the green governance system and consolidate the development foundation. Promote the full industrial chain carbon footprint accounting from fibers to finished garments; promote green technology specifications such as sustainable fibers, ecological dyes, and water-saving processes; build an ESG innovation system covering the entire chain, and promote a unified and transparent information disclosure framework. Promote the transformation of corporate carbon reduction practices into tradable 'carbon assets'.

The second is to create a collaborative innovation ecosystem and enhance the value of the entire chain. Give full play to the leading role of leading enterprises, promote collaborative emission reduction of the industrial chain; strengthen technological innovation in key areas such as green fibers, waterless and low-water dyeing, and recycling of waste textiles; accelerate the industrial application of cutting-edge green technology; and create an innovative community with complementary advantages, shared risks, and shared interests.

The third is to promote practical global cooperation and optimize industrial layout. Integrate into global green development, strengthen cooperation with the countries jointly building the Belt and Road, share green technology, jointly build green standards and green markets. Promote mutual recognition and interconnection of key indicators such as green products and recycled fibers, and explore the construction of a stable and efficient cross-border textile recycling system.

“Green leadership and green promotion are the key links and important connotations of our high-quality development. Therefore, the promotion of the 'double carbon' work has specific practical significance.” Former Deputy Inspector of the Environment and Resources Department of the National Development and Reform Commission, Yang Shangbao, put forward five aspects of the next stage of green development tasks, namely, comprehensive green transformation, resource conservation, pollution control, ecological protection, and improvement of the 'double carbon' work.