China's textile industry has achieved a systemic technological summit in the general fiber sector. The 2025 National Science and Technology Progress Award first prize, announced on July 8, was granted to the project 'Key Technologies for Green and Intelligent Manufacturing of the Polyester Fiber Industry Chain,' led by Tongkun Group in collaboration with Donghua University and Zhejiang Sci-Tech University. This marks the third time the textile chemical fiber sector has won this top national award, but unlike previous wins, it signifies the establishment of a complete proprietary technology system for polyester fiber, the 'industrial staple.'
From Single Breakthroughs to Full-Chain Autonomy
The previous two first prizes focused on high-performance carbon fiber (2017) and digital yarn dyeing (2014), both specific categories or process breakthroughs. This project covers the entire chain from PTA raw materials to finished polyester fiber, encompassing green manufacturing, intelligent manufacturing, and service-oriented manufacturing. According to publicly available industry data, China produces 70% of the world's chemical fibers, with polyester fiber ranking first among all types. The industry has long relied on imported equipment and processes. The project pioneered a PTA-PET direct coupling low-carbon manufacturing model and achieved large-scale domestic replacement of DCS control systems, meaning Chinese chemical fiber factories are no longer constrained in core processes and control systems.
Over a Decade of Research Produces Trillions in Economic Impact
The project was led by Donghua University researcher Wang Huaping, with deep involvement from the team of Chinese Academy of Sciences academician Zhu Meifang, in collaboration with Tongkun Group and other leading enterprises, after more than ten years of industry-university-research collaboration. To date, it has formed a complete intellectual property system including 76 authorized invention patents and 14 national and industry standards. The results have been implemented in industrial bases in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Xinjiang, and in over ten other entities, generating cumulative new sales of over 200 billion yuan, profits and taxes of over 10 billion yuan, and export earnings of $1.8 billion. For buyers, this means stronger cost control and supply stability for domestic polyester fiber; for factories, the replicability of intelligent production lines will directly lower the threshold for technological upgrades.
The Discipline Ecosystem Behind the International Cooperation Award
At the same ceremony, Professor Elsa Reichmanis, Chair of the International Advisory Committee of the State Key Laboratory for Advanced Fiber Materials at Donghua University, received the International Science and Technology Cooperation Award. This three-time US national academy member has collaborated deeply with Donghua University since 2013, co-training talent and promoting the Advanced Fiber and Polymer Materials International Conference as the world's largest fiber-themed academic event. Her award not only recognizes individual contributions but also reflects that China's textile discipline is building an open global innovation network—from importing technology to importing talent, and then to co-setting academic agendas. This ecosystem upgrade holds long-term value for the industry beyond individual technological breakthroughs.
Transmission Effects on the Industry Chain
The green and intelligent upgrade of the polyester fiber chain is changing the industry's competitive logic from the source. On one hand, the development of environmentally friendly titanium-based catalysts and crude oil-based fiber oils makes production more low-carbon, directly addressing new international trade regulations like the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and reducing compliance risks for exporters. On the other hand, the modular digital linkage system enables customized production of differentiated products, meaning downstream brands can access faster, smaller batch flexible supply, replacing traditional large-scale standardized orders. For western industrial bases like Xinjiang, the technology's implementation also boosts local employment and industrial upgrading, alleviating pressure from industrial relocation.