Lyocell fiber supply and demand have maintained nearly 40% annual growth for two consecutive years, and nonwovens output surpassed 9 million tons for the first time in 2025. Behind these figures lies the real pace of bio-based fibers moving from laboratories to production lines. The exchange meeting on bio-based chemical fiber and raw material industry chain innovation, held in early August in Changshu, exposed a core issue: not 'whether to do it' but 'how to reduce costs and scale up.'
Industry Status: Impressive Growth, Persistent Bottlenecks
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China's bio-based fibers achieved leapfrog growth, but key monomers still rely on imports. The localization and large-scale preparation of high-purity lactic acid, lactide, furandicarboxylic acid, and other key monomers are the most urgent tasks. Large-capacity continuous polymerization and melt direct spinning technologies have not yet been fully mastered, and localization of key equipment is still in progress. This means that despite strong terminal demand, the 'bottleneck' in upstream raw materials will directly constrain cost reduction.
For buyers, bio-based fibers are still more expensive than traditional chemical fibers, but the gap is narrowing. Once monomer localization breaks through, prices are expected to drop further, leading to a qualitative improvement in market acceptance.
Resources and Standards: Feedstock Diversification and Carbon Footprint Rules
Straw, corncobs, giant grass, and bamboo are repeatedly mentioned as non-grain biomass resources. Feedstock diversification is key to building a sustainable supply system. Zhang Qian, director of the Planning and Research Division of the Industry Department of the China National Textile and Apparel Council, made a noteworthy judgment: green development in the textile industry is no longer just an environmental issue but a survival issue for market access. International green trade rules are tightening, and if carbon footprint accounting standards are not established promptly, exporters will face substantial barriers.
Currently, the industry is accelerating the formulation of standards for bio-based content determination, biodegradable fiber evaluation, and carbon footprint accounting. Once these standards are implemented, they will directly reshape international trade patterns—whoever establishes a complete traceability system first will gain a dominant position in the global green supply chain.
Technology Routes: From 'Technically Feasible' to 'Market Viable'
Wang Huaping, a researcher at Donghua University, predicts that bio-based chemical fibers and biodegradable fiber materials will maintain high growth rates in the coming years, with the share of green fibers increasing significantly. But technological breakthroughs do not automatically translate into market success. Issues such as brittleness and insufficient heat resistance of polylactic acid fibers need to be addressed through copolymerization modification, blending modification, and process control. Yisheng New Materials' practice shows that after modification, PLA fibers can cover fields such as 3D printing and ecological fibers. Xinxiang Chemical Fiber's ionic liquid method achieves non-derivatized green dissolution of cellulose, and its 'Shousaier' thousand-ton production line is running stably. These cases prove that integrated design of processes and equipment is key to reducing costs and improving performance.
For downstream brands, bio-based materials are no longer just a 'concept' but functional fabrics that can be practically used. Sun Mingliang, founder of the COOL-FRESH® brand, proposed that fabric development should focus on collaborative innovation around consumer scenario emotions and composite functional needs, meaning bio-based materials should upgrade from a single environmental attribute to an integration of aesthetics, performance, and sustainability.
Application Landing: New Tracks in Nonwovens and Smart Fibers
In 2025, China's nonwovens output exceeded 9 million tons, with disposable hygiene products being the main application market and the wipes market expanding rapidly, making biodegradable raw material development a hot spot. This provides a huge incremental space for bio-based fibers. Meanwhile, Cui Meng, an associate professor at Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, demonstrated the application prospects of PLA-based nanofibers in wearable self-powered sensors, smart wound dressings, and other medical fields. The sports health and medical consumables tracks are converging.
The rise of these segmented markets means that the consumption scenarios of bio-based fibers are no longer limited to apparel but are penetrating into medical, hygiene, smart wearables, and other diverse fields. For factories, this means adjusting production line structures to adapt to small-batch, multi-variety, high-value-added order models.