The textile industry has always been heavily influenced by the weather. If the climate changes, some of the industry's inherent principles may also shift accordingly.
When it comes to global warming, environmental protection naturally comes to mind. In recent years, whether browsing fast fashion malls, outdoor sports stores, or mid- to high-end brand websites, you'll almost always see terms like "eco-friendly fabrics," "recycled materials," and "green supply chain" appearing frequently. Within the textile industry, environmental protection has gradually become a mainstream concept, and consumer awareness is also developing. For example, the recent Arc'teryx "mountain bombing" incident that caused a public outcry was largely due to this. On the upstream raw material side, leading companies are also optimistic about this blue ocean market and continue to invest in recycling. my country's "Implementation Opinions on Accelerating the Recycling of Waste Textiles" stipulates that the textile recycling rate will reach 25% by 2025, with annual recycled fiber production reaching 2 million tons; and the recycling rate will reach 30% by 2030.
In addition to environmentally friendly recycling, functional fabrics have also been a hot topic in the market in recent years. With the increasing frequency of extreme weather in recent years, the demand for functional fabrics to cope with these scenarios has also increased significantly. According to statistics from the China Chemical Fiber Association, my country's total chemical fiber production capacity will reach 74.75 million tons in 2024, ranking first in the world. With a high base of production capacity and high production, chemical fiber production will grow rapidly in 2024, with a year-on-year increase of 8.8%. Among them, the output of polyester filament and spandex will increase by about 10% year-on-year, nylon production will increase by 6.3% year-on-year, viscose staple fiber production will increase by 5.8% year-on-year, and lyocell fiber production will increase by 27.4% year-on-year. At present, general fiber preparation has been cross-integrated with solution dyeing, antibacterial, flame retardant, comfort, health care, anti-pilling, anti-static, anti-drip and other technologies, achieving breakthroughs in the industrial-scale production technology of differentiated and functional fibers, and establishing an industrial chain for the manufacturing of functional fibers and related industrial products. With the continuous development and breakthroughs of new technologies, new functional fibers and products are constantly being introduced. The application areas of kinetic fibers are gradually shifting from traditional industries such as clothing and home textiles to cutting-edge high-tech fields such as defense and military, advanced equipment, and biomedicine. Functional fiber materials are moving towards intelligentization, high added value, customization, and high-end products.
The peak seasons of the textile industry, known as the "Golden March and Silver April" and the "Golden September and Silver October," primarily cater to market demand during spring, summer, and autumn and winter. However, if temperature patterns change, manufacturers' production and stocking schedules may also shift. For example, some summer sun-protective fabrics and winter down jacket fabrics have highly specialized properties, and sales often only truly increase after the temperature changes, thereby reducing inventory levels in these fabrics. Coupled with the increasing proportion of spot goods in the textile market, situations like this one in September where the "Golden September and Silver October" seasons performed below expectations may become increasingly common.
