When a chemical fiber company wins the National First Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress as the lead unit, the signal goes far beyond a single technical award. 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,' jointly completed by Tongkun Group, Donghua University, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, and seven other institutions, taking the top prize. This marks a landmark achievement in the full-industry-chain technology for general-purpose fibers within the textile sector.
From Single-Point Breakthroughs to Full-Chain Restructuring
Over the past decade, the textile industry has secured 28 national science and technology awards, primarily concentrated in niche areas such as specialty fibers, smart equipment, and green dyeing. The 2014 award for automated digital dyeing of cheese yarn and the 2017 award for the thousand-ton dry-jet wet-spinning carbon fiber project were both breakthroughs in specific segments or product categories. What distinguishes this year's winning project is its coverage of the entire polyester fiber chain—from the direct coupling of PTA and PET to the digital integration of spinning and texturing, and finally to flexible customization of differentiated products.
Polyester fiber, the 'staple grain' of the textile industry, accounts for over 70% of China's total chemical fiber output. The chain is long and highly interconnected, meaning a weakness in any single link can become a bottleneck for overall competitiveness. By simultaneously advancing green manufacturing, intelligent manufacturing, and service-oriented manufacturing, this project essentially builds a replicable and scalable blueprint for full-chain industrial upgrading.
The Industrial Logic Behind the Numbers
The implementation data of the project's outcomes is noteworthy: cumulative new sales revenue exceeding 200 billion yuan, profits and taxes exceeding 10 billion yuan, and export earnings of 1.8 billion US dollars. These figures reflect the large-scale application across multiple industrial bases in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Xinjiang. For buyers and factories, what does this mean? First, significant reductions in energy consumption are reshaping the cost structure of polyester fiber production, potentially subjecting small and medium-sized enterprises with high energy sensitivity to more intense price competition. Second, lower defect rates directly enhance the quality stability of fabrics and yarns, giving downstream apparel and home textile brands more certainty in their supply chain choices.
From a policy perspective, the project aligns closely with the 'dual carbon' goals and the direction of new quality productive forces. The replacement of traditional antimony-based catalysts with environmentally friendly titanium-based ones, along with the development of crude-oil-based fiber finishes, are fundamental innovations centered on green and low-carbon production. This not only affects enterprises' environmental compliance costs but may also create new market access standards.
The Demonstrative Effect of Industry-Academia Collaboration
The project was led by Professor Wang Huaping from Donghua University as the first completer, with deep involvement from the team of Academician Zhu Meifang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Tongkun Group as the industrial leader for implementation. This model of 'universities providing intelligence, enterprises providing scenarios' is not unprecedented in the textile industry, but the first-prize honor further amplifies its demonstrative effect. Notably, Donghua University also won the International Science and Technology Cooperation Award—Professor Elsa Reichmanis from Lehigh University received the honor for her long-term efforts in promoting Sino-US collaboration in fiber materials. Several graduate students she helped train have been selected for national talent programs, and the high-level papers and conference platforms resulting from their collaboration have enhanced the global visibility of China's fiber discipline.
For the industry, this sends a clear signal: future technological competition will no longer be limited to equipment introduction or process improvement; it requires building a three-dimensional innovation system encompassing basic research, applied development, and international cooperation. Enterprises capable of integrating university research resources and bridging the gap between academia and industry will gain a first-mover advantage in the next round of industrial upgrading.