The niche field of flash-spun nonwoven fabric, often dubbed a 'strategic new material,' is undergoing a qualitative shift from technological breakthroughs to the establishment of a standards system. Recently, the national standard for 'Flash-Spun Nonwoven Fabric' completed two technical discussions in Nantong, Jiangsu, and a draft has been formed. This indicates that five years after the commercialization of domestic materials, the industry is paving the way for large-scale substitution and a self-controllable supply chain through standardization.
Background
The standard development is led by Xiamen Dangsheng New Materials Co., Ltd., under the guidance of the China Nonwovens & Industrial Textiles Association (CNITA) and the National Technical Committee for Industrial Textiles Standardization. Participants include over 20 key enterprises and research institutes along the industrial chain, such as Xiamen Dangsheng, Jiangsu Qingyun, Kingfa Technology, Minshida, Naibeisi, Guotu New Materials, Xinhua Medical, CGN Research Institute, and Donghua University. The two meetings focused on core issues like the standard framework, technical indicators, and testing methods, with drafting units reaching consensus on multiple key points based on their R&D, production, and application practices.
Notably, a national standard for flash-spun nonwoven fabric was previously absent in China. The 'Guiding Opinions for High-Quality Development of the Industrial Textiles Industry' from MIIT and NDRC has explicitly called for breakthroughs in flash-spinning technology and expanding its applications in medical and pharmaceutical packaging, protective equipment, and printing substrates. The '14th Five-Year Plan' for the textile industry also lists flash-spinning technology as a key breakthrough in advanced textile products. The alignment of national policy with the standardization process sends a clear industrial signal.
Industry Impact
For buyers and downstream users, the lack of a standard has long been a hidden cost in promoting domestic flash-spun materials. Inconsistent product performance and the absence of a unified grading system create uncertainty in selection, validation, and compliance. Once the standard is issued, testing methods and grading indicators will be standardized, directly lowering the technical evaluation threshold and compliance risks for buyers. This is especially significant in fields such as medical and pharmaceutical packaging and infectious disease emergency protection, where material performance requirements are stringent.
From a competitive landscape perspective, Dangsheng New Materials achieved commercial production of flash-spun nonwoven fabric in 2019, becoming the world's second and China's first company to master the full set of technologies, breaking a nearly 60-year foreign monopoly. Its products, featuring ultra-lightweight, high strength, and high barrier properties, have won awards such as the Shanghai Science and Technology Progress First Prize and the CTES Technical Invention First Prize. Leading the development of a national standard marks the company's transition from a 'technology follower' to a 'rule maker'.
For upstream supply chains and equipment manufacturers, the establishment of a standard system will accelerate the domestic substitution process. Flash-spun nonwoven fabrics are irreplaceable in critical areas like military protection and medical packaging, which previously relied heavily on imports. With a unified standard, the quality stability and batch consistency of domestic materials are expected to improve, boosting downstream customer confidence and driving collaborative upgrades across the entire chain.