A technological achievement covering the entire polyester fiber industry chain has just won China's highest scientific honor. On July 8, the 2025 National Science and Technology Awards were announced, with the project 'Key Technologies for Green and Intelligent Manufacturing in the Polyester Fiber Industry Chain,' led by Tongkun Group and involving ten units including Donghua University, receiving the First Prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award. This marks not only another triumph for the textile chemical fiber sector but also signifies that the core technology system of the polyester fiber industry, which accounts for 70% of global chemical fiber production, has achieved self-reliance.
Industrial Logic Behind the Technological Breakthrough
Polyester fiber has long been regarded as the 'industrial staple' of the textile industry, holding the top position among all chemical fibers in terms of output. China's 70% share of global chemical fiber production means that any technological leap in this field generates a massive industrial multiplier effect. The award-winning project focuses not on a single link but on the entire chain from raw materials to end products, advancing simultaneously in three directions: green manufacturing, smart manufacturing, and service-oriented manufacturing.
On the green front, the project pioneered a direct-coupled low-carbon production model for PTA-PET, developed environmentally friendly titanium-based catalysts, and established full lifecycle green standards. This provides a clearer quantitative control path for carbon and pollutant emissions during polyester fiber production. In smart manufacturing, the large-scale localization of DCS control systems directly reduces equipment procurement and maintenance costs, making technological upgrades more accessible for small and medium-sized chemical fiber enterprises. The 'multi-head, multi-tail' series-parallel composite polymerization platform enables differentiated product customization, allowing factories to quickly switch product lines based on downstream brand demands, thus reducing inventory waste.
Scale Effect of Industrial Implementation
The true value of technological achievements lies in their implementation. Public data shows that the project's results have been promoted in industrial bases in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Xinjiang, as well as at over ten industry enterprises, generating cumulative new sales exceeding 200 billion yuan, profits and taxes over 10 billion yuan, and export earnings of 1.8 billion US dollars. Meanwhile, industry energy consumption and defect rates have significantly decreased.
Behind such scale effects is the result of over a decade of collaborative research between industry and academia. The deep integration of Donghua University's research team, including lead researcher Wang Huaping and Chinese Academy of Sciences academician Zhu Meifang, with leading enterprises like Tongkun Group, ensured rapid technology transfer from lab to production line. Consequently, Tongkun Group was selected as one of the first batch of national 'Zero-Waste Enterprise' cases and received the title of 'National Excellent Smart Manufacturing Demonstration Factory.'
For buyers, the direct changes brought by this technology system include improved product quality stability, faster customized response times, and traceable green attributes in the supply chain. For brands and retailers advancing ESG compliance, this means more transparent carbon footprint data at the upstream raw material stage.
International Cooperation and Academic Support
During the same award ceremony, Professor Elsa Reichmanis, Chair of the International Advisory Committee of Donghua University's State Key Laboratory for Advanced Fiber Materials, received the中华人民共和国 International Science and Technology Cooperation Award. This three-time US academician has been deeply collaborating with Donghua University since 2013, promoting the International Conference on Advanced Fiber and Polymer Materials to become the world's largest fiber-themed academic event, and jointly training multiple young scholars who have entered national talent programs.
The simultaneous recognition of two major awards at the same university reflects two key pillars of textile technology innovation: systematic breakthroughs in independent technology systems and the deepening of high-level international cooperation. For the industry, this means a more stable source of academic support for future basic research and frontier technology reserves in fiber materials.
Industry Insights and Practical Directions
The technological path recognized by this award provides a clear reference for the next phase of textile industry upgrading: shifting from single-point technology breakthroughs to full-chain systemic innovation, and from capacity expansion to an integrated approach of green, intelligent, and service-oriented development.