China’s textile and apparel exports reached $**.** billion in January-April ****, up only *.* per cent year on year. The split is more revealing: textile exports rose *.* per cent, while apparel fell *.* per cent. That puts more strategic weight on China’s upstream engine, i.e., fibres, yarns, fabrics, dyeing, finishing and testing, where chemical compliance is decided long before a garment reaches the sewing floor.
China’s ****–** textile upgrading plan targets more than *** new or revised national standards by ****, plus more than ** international standards and an international standard conversion rate above ** per cent. The plan reaches deep into the production chain: digital product passports, traceability systems, low-water dyeing, carbon-footprint rules, waste-textile recycling, bio-based and degradable fibres, green factories and parks, and chemical-risk assessment. It also names restricted dyes, alkylphenols/APEOs, PFAS, organotin compounds, VOCs in coatings and polyurethane-related raw materials. A June **** green low-carbon standardisation plan adds another layer, targeting more than *** green low-carbon standards by ****.