In 2020, in the face of the sudden pandemic, Chinese industrial textile companies have devoted themselves to the production of anti-pandemic materials such as masks, protective clothing, and disinfectant wipes, which drive the entire industry’s production, sales, exports and profits to increase significantly. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the industrial added value of enterprises above designated size in China’s industrial textile industry increased by 54.1 percent in 2020.

In terms of production, nonwovens are the main raw materials for masks, protective clothing and disinfection wipes. The annual output of nonwovens of enterprises above designated size reached 5.791 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 15.8 percent.

 

In terms of economic benefits, in 2020, the total operating revenue and total profits of enterprises above designated size in China’s industrial textile industry were 319.84 billion yuan and 36.53 billion yuan, an increase of 32.6 percent and 203.2 percent year-on-year, respectively. The operating profit margin was 11.4 percent, a year-on-year increase of 6.4 percentage points.

 

In terms of fields, in 2020, the operating revenue and total profits of nonwovens enterprises above designated size will reach 175.28 billion yuan and 24.52 billion yuan, an increase of 54 percent and 328.1 percent year-on-year, respectively, and an operating profit margin of 14 percent, an increase of 9 percentage points from the same period last year; the operating revenue and total profit of industrial textiles for medical and hygiene textiles, filtration textiles, and geotextiles increased by 35.4 percent and 175.1 percent, respectively, and the operating profit margin was 12.3 percent.

 

The operating revenue of threads and ropes that are not highly related to pandemic prevention materials increased by 6.9 percent year-on-year, and the total profit decreased by 3.3 percent year-on-year; the operating revenue and total profit of textile belts and cord fabrics decreased by 11.8 percent and 18.2 percent respectively; the operating revenue and total profit of canvas and tarp textiles increased by 5.3 percent and 16.5 percent respectively year-on-year.

 

In terms of international trade, in 2020, China exported 1.289 million tons of nonwovens, valued at USD 5.05 billion, a year-on-year increase of 32.2 percent and 62.5 percent respectively. The export of disposable sanitary products such as diapers and sanitary napkins was USD 2.27 billion, a year-on-year increase of 8.6 percent. From March 2020 to the end of 2020, China has exported 224.2 billion masks to the world, including 65 billion medical masks; exported 2.31 billion pieces of protective clothing, including 773 million pieces of medical protective clothing. The annual export value of masks and protective clothing is about USD 63.5 billion.