The towel industry is undergoing a comprehensive restructuring from standard systems to material innovation and market channels. The 4th National Home Textile Standardization Committee Towel Subcommittee, held in Jinan on July 17, signaled more than a routine succession.
Standard System: From Following to Leading
The secretariat of the Towel Subcommittee continues to be hosted by Binzhou Yaguang Home Textiles, a company that has led industry standard revisions for two consecutive terms. Yang Zhaohua, Vice President of the China National Textile and Apparel Council, emphasized that the industry faces not only overcapacity but also the challenge of keeping standards aligned with consumption upgrades and technological iterations.
Zhang Fenglin from the Shandong Provincial Market Supervision Bureau noted that standardization has become a key support for industrial transformation and upgrading. For traditional categories like towels, standardization forces companies to eliminate low-end capacity and shift to high-value products.
The meeting reviewed the industry standard for "Dry Hair Towels (Caps)" and promoted three other standards: "Knitted Towels," "Sports Towels," and "Home Textiles - Towel Products - Terminology." This means future towel classification, testing, and naming will be more unified, providing buyers with clearer benchmarks for price comparison and selection.
Material Innovation: Commercial Prospects of Juncao Fiber
Li Guodong, General Manager of Xinxiang Longlu New Materials, shared the application prospects of Juncao fiber in towels. Juncao fiber has natural antibacterial and excellent moisture absorption properties, achieving a full life-cycle low-carbon cycle from planting to disposal.
For towel enterprises long plagued by severe homogenization, this offers a differentiated path to break out. Compared to traditional cotton towels, Juncao fiber towels are easier to price based on functionality, but they also face challenges in raw material supply stability and consumer education.
Channel Transformation: New Overseas Ideas Under TikTok Traffic Dividends
Peng Qizhen, CEO of TikTok top MCN agency Modeng Media, used the towel industry as a case study to explain how to leverage cross-border e-commerce traffic dividends for overseas markets. The core logic is no longer relying on traditional OEM orders but reaching end consumers directly through short videos and livestreaming to build brand awareness.
This approach has direct guidance for China's towel industrial clusters, such as Gaoyang and Binzhou, which have long focused on OEM exports. When standardization combines with branding, Chinese towel enterprises have the potential to upgrade from "world factory" to "global brand."
Industry Impact: How Standardization Changes Procurement Decisions
For buyers, the implementation of new standards means higher product qualification rates and lower after-sales risks. For example, the "Dry Hair Towel" standard specifies water absorption and size deviation, reducing return disputes caused by non-compliance.
For factories, standard upgrades are both a threshold and an opportunity. Small workshops unable to meet new standards will be accelerated out, while companies that invest early in new materials like Juncao fiber can capture the blue ocean market of functional towels.
Practical Recommendations
For Buyers - Incorporate the testing indicators of new national standards for "Dry Hair Towels" and "Knitted Towels" into supplier screening criteria. - Prioritize purchasing towel products certified under new standards to reduce quality dispute risks. - Monitor supply information for Juncao fiber towels, as these products already command a premium in European and American markets.
For Foreign Trade Enterprises - Use short-video platforms like TikTok for brand-oriented operations, shifting from "selling products" to "selling brands." - Collaborate with the subcommittee to participate in industry standard setting, securing technical discourse rights in advance. - Include information about compliance with new national standards in exported products to enhance overseas customer trust.
Conclusion
The establishment of the 4th Towel Subcommittee is not an end but a starting point. When standardization, material innovation, and cross-border e-commerce are intertwined, China's towel industry is bidding farewell to low-end manufacturing and moving toward a new era driven by standards and brands.