There are bright prospects for the development of protective clothing industry in China, according to experts.

 

The current domestic and international situation is forcing the development of traditional textile industries, which in turn, is resulting in the rapid development of industrial textiles in China. In short, the ongoing structural adjustment in the Chinese textile industry is playing a catalyst role in the development of technical textiles in China, say experts.

 

The growth of industrial textiles needs favourable policy direction and market demand. The demand can be visualized from the fact that by 2050, the UN projects the global textile fibre processing volume to reach 253 million tons, of which, about 171 million tons will be industrial textiles, constituting a 67.4 percent share.

 

The development of industrial textiles can be ascertained by stressing on several parameters like high performance, new features, special structures for special purposes, fine exquisite precision and excellent quality.

 

At present, the development prospects of industrial textiles in China are marred by some problems like lack of standards and supervision, lack of awareness and downstream industrial integration, constraints related to dedicated fibre and manufacturing technology, and lack of brand strategy and quality protection.

 

In such a situation, protective textiles can be developed by transforming low value-added industries to higher value-added, and also by shifting from industries that consume high energy and are highly polluting to ones that are low energy consuming and pollute less. It would also require that the industries turn their focus to intensive development from extensive expansion, and from emphasis on manufacturing to giving greater weight to research and design.

 

As for the market, there is huge domestic market in China for protective clothing, as it can be used by the police, the special warfare training services, fire rescue personnel, in industries where electrical safety standards are applicable, etc.