Brand value is becoming the core benchmark for the next round of competition in the textile and apparel industry. The 'Excellent Brand Cultivation Action Plan for Textile and Apparel (2026-2028)', jointly issued by five ministries, has drawn a clear path for this industry with the world's most complete supply chain to leap from 'scale leadership' to 'value leadership'. The plan proposes to cultivate at least 25 excellent brands within three years and simultaneously build an evaluation index system—this is not a simple quantitative task, but a systematic reset of the logic of industry resource allocation.
Policy Landing: Strategic Shift Behind Quantitative Targets
The most core change of the plan lies in 'measurable standards'. In the past, brand building relied more on corporate self-evaluation or industry reputation, with vague evaluation criteria leading to the dispersion of large amounts of resources in inefficient brand promotion. This time, the five ministries jointly issued the document, specifying the cultivation target of 'excellent brands' as 25 for the first time, and starting to establish a scientific evaluation index system. This means that in the future, which brands can receive policy support, capital preference, and channel resources will no longer depend on marketing volume, but on verifiable technological strength, cultural heritage, and sustainable development capabilities.
Sun Ruizhe emphasized in his interpretation that this target guides the industry to 'dig deep and accumulate', concentrating high-quality resources on brands with real potential, depth, and responsibility. For buyers, this sends a clear signal: in the next three years, suppliers with independent technology patents, Eastern aesthetic design language, and green supply chain certification will become scarce resources sought after by top brands.
Industry Impact: Technology, Culture, and Green Pillars Reshape Brand Value
The plan anchors brand growth on three main lines: technological innovation, cultural confidence, and green responsibility. This is not a general statement, but a precise response to current industry pain points.
- On the technological innovation front, China's textile industry already has global competitiveness in functional fabrics and smart textiles, but brand premiums remain low. The plan's emphasis on 'building a solid quality foundation through technological innovation' means that technology patenting and patent branding will become key closed loops in brand cultivation.
- On the cultural resource front, Eastern aesthetics are becoming a new variable in the global fashion world. From the daily use of Hanfu to the modern application of intangible cultural heritage crafts, cultural empowerment of brands has moved from concept to practice. The plan's proposal to explore the cultural roots behind brands will provide policy endorsement and communication platforms for such brands.
- On the green transformation front, international rules such as the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) are forcing supply chain transparency. By incorporating 'responsible development' into brand evaluation, the plan essentially helps Chinese brands adapt to international green trade barriers in advance, avoiding order losses due to non-compliance with environmental standards in the future.
Implementation Path: How Will the Six Tasks Land?
As the industry organization, CNTAC is responsible for converting the plan into executable actions. Sun Ruizhe announced six key tasks, three of which have the most direct impact on the upstream and downstream of the industry chain:
- Establish an 'Excellent Textile and Apparel Brand' incubation mechanism to form a tiered brand cultivation system. This means government resources will no longer be spread thinly, but concentrated on supporting potential brands that have been screened.
- Introduce brand diagnostic services with professional forces to help companies identify weaknesses. For small and medium-sized fabric companies, this could be a rare opportunity to obtain customized upgrade suggestions.
- Deepen the integration of cultural tourism and consumption, bringing brands more frequently into consumer scenarios. For terminal categories such as home textiles and apparel, this directly relates to C-end awareness and premium capacity.
Practical Recommendations
For Buyers - Prioritize suppliers with technology patents or cultural IP licenses; such companies are more likely to enter the 'Excellent Brand' incubation pool, offering higher cooperation stability. - Pay attention to suppliers' progress in green certifications (e.g., GRS, GOTS, OEKO-TEX); in the next three years, environmental qualifications may become a threshold for international orders. - Include brand synergy clauses in annual procurement contracts, such as co-developing cultural elements for private labels, to leverage policy incentives for design resource subsidies.
For Foreign Trade Companies - Proactively engage with CNTAC's brand diagnostic services to benchmark against the evaluation index system for internal improvements, enhancing bargaining power in mid-to-high-end markets in Europe and the US. - Integrate Eastern aesthetic elements into product design, but pay attention to the international expression of cultural symbols to avoid market limitations due to cultural barriers. - Monitor exhibition and sales opportunities in cultural tourism integration activities; such events often quickly test international buyers' cultural acceptance, accumulating data for subsequent channel expansion.
Brand building is a long race, but the policy has already set milestones for the track. For the entire textile and apparel industry, the core proposition for the next three years is no longer 'how big to become', but 'how strong to become'. Companies that first complete the reconstruction of brand value in the three dimensions of technology, culture, and green will earn the ticket to the next round of global competition.