A technological breakthrough covering the entire polyester fiber industry chain has elevated the autonomous capabilities of China's chemical fiber industry to a new level.
On July 8, 2026, the National Science and Technology Progress Award First Prize was awarded to the project 'Key Technologies for Green and Intelligent Manufacturing of the Polyester Fiber Industry Chain,' led by Tongkun Group as the primary unit, in collaboration with Donghua University, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, and nine other institutions. This is the first time a technology covering the entire general fiber industry chain has won the top national science award, signaling that China has established a complete autonomous technology system from raw materials to end products in the chemical fiber sector, a 'staple food' for the textile industry.
Technical Breakthroughs: Reshaping the Industry Chain in Three Dimensions
Polyester fiber accounts for the largest share of China's chemical fiber output, representing 70% of global production. The project, led by Professor Wang Huaping from Donghua University and with deep involvement from the team of Academician Zhu Meifang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, achieved core breakthroughs in three directions after more than a decade of research:
- In green manufacturing, the project pioneered a direct-coupling low-carbon manufacturing model for PTA-PET, developed environmentally friendly titanium-based catalysts to replace traditional antimony-based catalysts, and established a full lifecycle green standard, opening up the entire low-carbon production pathway.
- In intelligent manufacturing, the project completed full-process automation equipment upgrades, achieved large-scale domestic substitution of DCS control systems, and established an integrated process and quality management and control system, forming a replicable 'China Solution.'
- In service-oriented manufacturing, the project pioneered a 'multi-head and multi-tail' series-parallel composite polymerization technology platform, creating a modular, digital, and interconnected system for polymerization, spinning, and texturing, enabling customized production of differentiated polyester fiber products and multi-regional collaborative agile manufacturing.
To date, the project has formed a complete independent intellectual property system comprising 76 authorized invention patents, 10 software copyrights, and 14 national and industry standards. It has been certified by an expert panel as reaching an internationally leading level overall.
Industrial Impact: Large-Scale Application in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Xinjiang
The technological breakthrough has not remained in the laboratory. The related achievements have been promoted and applied in industrial bases in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Xinjiang, as well as in over 10 other industry units, generating cumulative new sales of over 200 billion yuan, profits and taxes exceeding 10 billion yuan, and export earnings of 1.8 billion US dollars. This means downstream fabric and garment companies will directly benefit from more stable quality, lower energy consumption, and more flexible delivery capabilities.
As the leading unit of the project, Tongkun Group has been selected as one of the first batch of national 'Zero-Waste Enterprise' typical cases and recognized as a 'National Service-Oriented Manufacturing Demonstration Enterprise' and a 'National Excellent Level Intelligent Manufacturing Demonstration Factory.' This signals that green and intelligent transformation starting from the chemical fiber source is becoming a core element of enterprise competitiveness.
Industry Significance: From Carbon Fiber to Polyester Fiber, an Increasingly Complete Autonomous Technology System
This is not the first time the textile industry has won the National Science and Technology Progress Award First Prize. In 2017, a carbon fiber project led by Zhongfu Shenying broke foreign monopolies; in 2014, Shandong Kangpingna Group's digital automatic dyeing technology for cheese yarn promoted intelligentization in the dyeing and printing industry. This award for the entire polyester fiber industry chain further perfects the multi-layered technological breakthrough pattern of China's textile industry, from basic materials to terminal equipment and from process innovation to green transformation.
For buyers and foreign trade enterprises, this means the bargaining power and stability of domestic polyester fiber suppliers will significantly improve, reducing downstream dependence on imported high-end raw materials. Additionally, the reduced carbon footprint from green manufacturing will help meet increasingly stringent environmental access requirements in European and American markets.
International Cooperation Dimension: US Academician Wins International Science and Technology Cooperation Award
On the same day, the People's Republic of China International Science and Technology Cooperation Award was granted to Professor Elsa Reichmanis from Lehigh University in the United States. She has long promoted Sino-US scientific and technological exchanges, deeply collaborated with Donghua University's State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, trained a group of national-level talents, and helped develop the International Conference on Advanced Fibers and Polymer Materials into the world's largest fiber-themed academic event. This award demonstrates the Chinese textile industry's determination to enhance its global influence through open cooperation.