A technological achievement covering the entire polyester fiber industrial chain has just won the highest honor in China's science and technology field.
On July 8, the 2025 National Science and Technology Awards were announced in Beijing. The project 'Key Technologies for Green and Intelligent Manufacturing of Polyester Fiber Industry Chain,' led by Tongkun Group as the primary completing unit and jointly completed by Donghua University, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, and seven other institutions, won the First Prize for National Scientific and Technological Progress. This is the first time a whole-chain technology for general fibers has received this award, signaling that the innovation focus of China's chemical fiber industry is shifting from single-point breakthroughs to systemic integration.
Systemic Innovation: From 'Industrial Staple' to Full-Chain Autonomy
Polyester fiber is the 'staple' of the textile industry. China produces 70% of the world's chemical fibers, with polyester fiber ranking first in output. The core value of this achievement is not an improvement in a single indicator, but that it has opened up all links from raw materials to end products.
The project was led by Professor Wang Huaping from Donghua University as the first lead, with deep involvement from the team of Academician Zhu Meifang. The team spent over a decade achieving systemic breakthroughs in three dimensions:
- In green manufacturing, they pioneered a direct-coupled PTA-PET low-carbon production model, developed environmentally friendly titanium-based catalysts, and established full lifecycle green standards.
- In intelligent manufacturing, they completed full-process automation equipment upgrades, achieved large-scale domestic substitution of DCS control systems, and formed a replicable industrial upgrade solution.
- In service-oriented manufacturing, they pioneered the 'multi-head multi-tail' series-parallel composite polymerization technology platform, enabling modular customization and multi-region collaborative production of differentiated products.
This system has formed a complete intellectual property layout with 76 authorized invention patents, 10 software copyrights, and 14 national and industry standards. An expert panel of academicians appraised the overall technology as reaching the international leading level.
Industrial Implementation: The Replication Logic Behind Over 200 Billion in Sales
The true value of technological achievements ultimately depends on the conversion efficiency at the industrial end. Public data shows that related technologies have been implemented in over ten companies in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Xinjiang, and other regions, generating cumulative new sales of over 200 billion yuan, profits and taxes of over 10 billion yuan, and export earnings of 1.8 billion US dollars.
What do these numbers mean? For a mature industry like polyester fiber, with an annual output of tens of millions of tons, the marginal benefits of systemic technological upgrades are enormous. Reduced energy consumption and lower defect rates directly improve a company's cost structure and product competitiveness. Tongkun Group, leveraging the project's demonstration effect, was selected as one of the first national 'Zero-Waste Enterprise' cases and recognized as a 'National Service-oriented Manufacturing Demonstration Enterprise.'
From an industry perspective, the replicability of this technical system is the key. A common challenge for chemical fiber companies has been that individual process improvements are easy, but full-chain collaborative optimization is difficult. The 'China solution' provided by this project addresses this pain point, offering a practical upgrade path for other similar enterprises.
International Collaboration: Two-Way Construction of Technological Discourse
Concurrently, the International Science and Technology Cooperation Award was granted to Professor Elsa Reichmanis from Lehigh University, USA. Since 2013, she has collaborated deeply with Donghua University's State Key Laboratory for Advanced Fiber Materials, co-training talent, publishing papers, and helping to develop the International Conference on Advanced Fiber and Polymer Materials into the world's largest fiber-themed academic event.
The awarding of this prize sends a clear signal: China's textile industry's technological innovation is no longer a one-way import but has formed deep collaborations with world-leading scholars in key areas. This collaboration not only enhances the global influence of domestic disciplines but also paves personnel and academic channels for industrial technology exports.
Industry Implications: The Next Competitive Dimension for the Chemical Fiber Sector
Looking back, the textile field has previously seen multiple achievements win national science and technology awards. In 2017, the carbon fiber project led by Zhongfu Shenying won a first prize; in 2014, Kangle Group's digital automatic yarn dyeing technology also won a first prize. However, the award for the whole-chain technology of polyester fiber, the most widely used general fiber, signifies an expansion in the scope of industrial upgrading.
For downstream buyers and foreign trade enterprises, what does the maturity of this technical system mean?
For Buyers - Pay attention to green certification systems at the raw material end. With the establishment of full lifecycle green standards, polyester fiber products with low-carbon labels will gradually become mainstream. Buyers should prioritize suppliers with relevant certifications. - Note the enhancement of differentiated customization capabilities. The 'multi-head multi-tail' modular production achieved by the project enables small-batch, multi-variety customized orders, allowing buyers to optimize inventory structure and reduce capital occupation.
For Foreign Trade Enterprises - Leverage technical endorsements to explore high-end markets. The independent intellectual property system formed by the project can serve as technical support for addressing overseas trade barriers, providing compliance documentation when promoting in European and American markets. - Focus on the changing cooperation models brought by service-oriented manufacturing. Companies like Tongkun have shifted from 'selling products' to 'selling solutions.' Foreign trade enterprises can explore joint overseas ventures with technology providers to offer complete solutions.
The systemic technological breakthrough in the polyester fiber industry is reshaping the global chemical fiber competitive landscape. For every link in this chain, understanding the logic of this technical system is more meaningful than chasing single indicators.