One out of every five sweaters globally is produced in Dalang, Dongguan. This industrial town, with an annual garment output exceeding 900 million pieces and a full-industry-chain transaction value surpassing 72 billion yuan, recently hosted the 95th International Wool Textile Conference. The signals from the conference are clear and urgent: the wool textile industry stands at a crossroads, transitioning from traditional manufacturing to smart, green, and brand-oriented paradigms.
The Anchoring Power of Industrial Clustering
Dalang exemplifies how industrial clustering provides stability amid uncertainty. From January to April 2025, revenue of China's textile enterprises above designated size dipped 0.3% year-on-year, but total profit surged 19.3%, with a profit margin of 2.9%. This 'revenue decline, profit rise' phenomenon reflects cost optimization and value enhancement through supply chain synergy and technological upgrades.
Notably, China's textile exports have exceeded USD 300 billion for six consecutive years. The robust export of intermediate goods like chemical fibers and fabrics underpins global supply chain stability. Against the IMF's downgrade of 2026 global growth to 3.1%, China's scale and system advantages are becoming a certainty anchor for the global industry.
Digital Restructuring: From Workshop to Ecosystem
The conference's theme 'Smart Weaving the Future' finds real-world validation in industry data. China's textile sector has achieved a digitalization rate of 63.2% in key processes, above the national manufacturing average. In 2024, 30 textile enterprises were included in the 5G factory list. Smart workshops, AI quality inspection, and industrial internet platforms are reshaping the entire process from design to production.
- Productivity leaps: Jiangsu Yueda Textile's 'Lighthouse Factory' reduced labor per 10,000 spindles by about 70%, boosted total labor productivity fourfold, cut unit energy consumption by 15%, and lowered processing costs by 26%.
- Design revolution: Semir's AI-assisted design system improved overall design efficiency by 35% and pattern design efficiency by over 200%. Bosideng's 'AI Aesthetic Brain' reduced sample development costs by over 60%.
- Ecosystem extension: Anuoqi's chain 'dyestuff → ink → digital printing → AI design → IP cultural creation' exemplifies the shift from traditional enterprise to data-driven ecosystem.
These cases show AI is becoming new infrastructure. The global AI market is projected to reach USD 757.58 billion in 2025, and by 2030, billions of AI agents will enter the workforce. For the wool industry, process parameters, production data, and market feedback will become governable, callable, and value-adding data assets.
Green Transformation: From Responsibility to Competitiveness
The conference also highlighted wool's health and digital life, reflecting consumers' rigid demand for sustainability. China's textile industry is accelerating green manufacturing: waterless dyeing and digital printing are being adopted faster, resource efficiency is improving, and pollution control is strengthening.
R&D investment intensity among textile enterprises rose from 1% at the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan to 1.3% in 2024. The number of national-level innovation platforms—manufacturing innovation centers, key laboratories, and enterprise technology centers—is steadily growing. High-performance fiber capacity accounts for over one-third of the global total, with applications expanding from traditional textiles to aerospace and marine engineering.
This green transformation is not just a cost but a source of brand premium. The global popularity of Chinese-style fashion and the inclusion of Anta, SHEIN, and others in the GYBrand World Top 500 confirm the positive correlation between sustainability and brand value.