The implementation of the new national standard has prompted enterprises to focus on the difficulties and pain points of consumer demand, continuously increase technological innovation, broaden consumer choice space, and drive the entire industry towards better quality, better service, and higher levels.

In recent years, with the emergence of new fabrics, new processes, and new technologies, consumers' demand for clothing and knitwear has been continuously segmented, and the usage scenarios have been continuously expanded. Products that integrate multiple functions such as warmth and cold protection, antibacterial and deodorizing, moisture absorption and quick drying, UV protection, anti-static, oil repellent and stain resistant have emerged.

On May 1st, the national standard GB/T 41788-2022 "Multi functional Knitted Products" jointly released by the State Administration for Market Regulation and the National Standardization Administration was officially implemented. What issues does the introduction of this standard mainly focus on solving? What impact will the implementation of the new national standard bring to the market? How should businesses and consumers recognize the new national standard?

Focusing on supply and demand to fill gaps

With technological progress, new types of fibers have emerged endlessly, and a variety of new fiber textile products have been produced using them as raw materials. These new fibers often combine multiple functions, and the clothing made from them naturally has multifunctional characteristics, greatly improving the wearing experience of consumers.

Entering a Uniqlo store located on the South Third Ring Road in Beijing, a dazzling array of clothing featuring different functional features is available: AIRism Cool Portable Sun Protection Clothing, DRY-EX Moisture wicking POLO Shirt, Air Feel Lightweight Quick Drying Suits... It is already summer, and many consumers are coming to choose sun protection products. Wu Pinhui, Chief Marketing Officer of Uniqlo Greater China, stated that the category of sun protection clothing in the market is constantly being segmented and upgraded. Consumers' functional needs for sun protection clothing not only focus on UV protection, but also pursue cooling, quick drying, breathability, and lightness. At the same time, they have higher requirements for color, hoping to be suitable for diverse styles and match different life scenarios.

The reporter learned that clothing with two or more functions is currently highly favored by consumers in the market. The 2023 Tmall Clothing Spring/Summer Trend White Paper shows that this spring/summer, with the increasing number of travel scenarios, consumers' core functional needs for clothing are reflected in portability and sun protection. The head of Tmall clothing products and search operations, Shuwen, told reporters that while the performance of sun protection clothing, wind protection clothing and other categories has been upgraded, color and style designs have also iterated, resulting in a surge in sales. Among them, the growth rate of fashionable sun protection clothing has exceeded 1700%, and the growth rate of shell sun protection hats has exceeded 860%.

The introduction of the new national standard conforms to the practical needs of the current market on both supply and demand sides, filling the gap in the field of multi-functional knitted product standards in China. As the main drafting unit of the new national standard, Zhao Juanzhi, Senior Engineer of the Knitwear Branch of the National Textile Standardization Technical Committee and Minister of the Standard Innovation Center of Tianfang Standard Testing and Certification Co., Ltd., introduced that, GB/T 41788-2022 "Multi functional Knitted Products" categorizes the functions applicable to knitted fabrics into 20 categories based on the current status of functional knitwear and the established functional textile standards, such as warmth preservation, antibacterial and deodorizing, waterproofing, radiation protection, UV protection, flame retardancy, moisture absorption and quick drying, contact instant cooling, etc., and clarifies the performance requirements, technical index evaluation, and test methods of these functions, This provides a clear path for the manufacturing of multi-functional knitwear and solves the long-standing confusion of having no standards to follow.

It is worth noting that clothing and textiles should not only meet the functional requirements of the new national standard, but also meet other indicators, such as color fastness, pilling, strength, and washing size change rate. Zhao Juanzhi emphasized that the new national standard introduces "relevant knitted product standards" and uses multiple layers of standards to form a complete assessment system for products.

Industry innovation at the right time

In actual production, the innovation of clothing dyeing and finishing technology and additives has also made the finishing process of textiles more refined and diversified, making it possible to produce multi-functional textile products, which also forces the continuous upgrading of the standard system.

In the laboratory of Shandong Kangkang New Materials Technology Co., Ltd., some seemingly ordinary fabrics actually have unexpected "skills". A "thermometer" that can be worn on babies, Flexible fibers that can collect physiological signals... General Manager Liu Chunmei introduced: "This silver ion antibacterial temperature changing fabric can sense the baby is body temperature. Once it exceeds the normal range, the pattern of the clothes will disappear, achieving warning function. This intelligent conductive fiber can seamlessly fit the body parts, accurately detect external stimuli, and help achieve intelligent wearable textiles for human health management." With 8 invention patents With the accumulation of 50 utility model patents, these new smart fibers are constantly moving from materials to products, creating greater imagination space for the clothing industry.

Functional standards are an important support for the development and application of new fibers, helping to promote breakthroughs in key preparation technologies for high-performance fibers and processing technologies for high-performance textile products. "Zhao Juanzhi said that currently, most of the multi-functional new fibers developed in China have not yet established identification standards, which poses great difficulties for the promotion and application of new fibers, making it difficult to effectively utilize their versatility. At the same time, the same fabric is affected by different additives, and various functions are mutually constrained and affect each other, directly affecting the quality of the finished product. Most of the existing functional knitted product standards are single function assessment and evaluation indicators, which are not conducive to the deep processing of products by enterprises and restrict the diversified development of the industry.

The implementation of the new national standard has pointed out the direction for the smooth and healthy entry of new fibers into the market, helping enterprises simplify complexity and directly conduct testing and evaluation from multifunctional features, greatly improving the practicality of the standard. Liu Chunmei stated that standards are the "wind vane" of enterprise development. Under the guidance of the new national standards, enterprises cannot stay on the simple superposition of past functions, but should adjust and optimize from various aspects such as product positioning, fabric selection, pattern design, cutting and sewing, dyeing and ironing, etc. This will become an important opportunity for enterprises to build commercial barriers and improve product competitive advantages.

In Zhao Juanzhi is view, the implementation of GB/T 41788-2022 "Multi functional Knitting Products" has prompted enterprises to focus on the difficulties, pain points, and blind spots of consumer demand, continuously increase technological innovation, boldly improve processes, and actively eliminate the old and create the new. This not only enriches market supply, expands consumer choice space, but also drives the entire industry towards better quality, better service, and higher levels.



Green environmental protection favored



The consumption and harm of the clothing and textile industry to the environment has always been widely concerned. Due to direct contact between textiles and skin, clothing that is less dependent on chemical dyes and focuses on environmental protection throughout the entire design and manufacturing cycle is undoubtedly more popular. Zhao Juanzhi stated that in this regard, the new national standard not only requires functionality, but also specifies the chemical substances used in the production process and the safety of products.

Liu Chunmei, who has nearly 30 years of experience in the fiber industry, has a deep understanding of the changes in the consumer market. She told reporters that in the past, most customers disdained functional products and believed that the cost-effectiveness was not high. In recent years, with the implementation of the "dual carbon" strategy and the improvement of consumer health awareness, the market is acceptance of functional products has generally increased. Green sustainable development and differentiated innovation have become a consensus in the industry.

What Liu Chunmei said is true. In order to adapt to changes in the consumer market and accelerate the improvement of green product supply capacity, a large number of green and environmentally friendly new equipment, materials, technologies, and processes have made breakthroughs. According to the "2022/2023 Knitting Product Trend" released by the China Knitting Industry Association, out of the 351 samples applied for by 77 companies, the proportion of enterprises applying for green sustainable fabric samples exceeds 80%, and the proportion of green sustainable products is as high as 66%.

The consumer market also has strong demand for green environmental protection. According to the White Paper on China is New Generation Fashion Consumption, 80.4% of respondents are more willing to choose brands with environmental concepts. According to the 2022 China Consumer Insight report released by Accenture, 43% of respondents are willing to pay a premium for environmentally friendly products or packaging. Liu Yuntian from Shenzhen is a securities analyst who works in the financial industry with strict requirements and often needs to wear formal attire. Liu Yuntian stated that he places great importance on fabrics and is more willing to choose products with natural, environmentally friendly and skin friendly materials.

"Wearing this underwear made of seaweed fiber is like applying a 'facial mask' to the skin." Liu Chunmei told reporters that in order to comply with the low-carbon consumption trend, the company has developed a seaweed fiber. This fiber uses natural kelp and seaweed organisms as raw materials, and after precipitation and extraction, its moisture absorption rate can reach 5 times that of pure cotton material, thereby alleviating problems such as rough and aging skin in autumn and winter. When it comes to the advantages of seaweed fiber, Liu Chunmei said, "The industry now places great emphasis on reducing the consumption of natural resources in fabric development. We cultivate 30000 acres of seaweed, which is like planting trees in the ocean. It produces a large amount of fiber, has high water content, and is environmentally friendly and biodegradable, which is of great significance for water conservation, efficiency improvement, carbon reduction, and carbon sequestration