Made in China 2025

Are you on the list? China is firing on all fronts: One Road, One Belt; Water Ten Plan; Circular Economy Promotion Plan and now the Made in China 2025 Action Plan. Awash with ‘Future China’ buzzwords, each of these have identified target industries. This month we take a look at which industries have made it to which lists. The list you are on matters: industries identified in the Made in China 2025 Action Plan differ from those in the Circular Economy Promotion Plan. Fashion didn’t make it to the Made in China 2025 list but textiles is a sector identified to go circular. Since it is also the most targeted sector in the Water Ten Plan, we took a deeper dive into what this means for this industry and found that there are 8 reasons why it’s time to leap or fall. With only two to three years to comply, the apparel sector needs to move fast. There are initiatives & solutions that can help. The Better Mill Initiative has proven business cases in water savings, Solidaridad’s Zhao Lin expands. Another is NRDC’s Clean by Design, which as Linda Greer shares had stellar results in Chinese textile mills. Yet despite lots of action on ground and additional regulatory risks, engagement by global brands still lags. Global fashion could not only be blindsided by China’s Water Ten but new Future China policies as well. Ultimately, China wants fashion to go circular so we tapped Redress CEO, Christina Dean for insights into how design can generate less waste and new revenue streams. But it is more than buzzwords – radical changes in business practices and consumer habits are needed to go circular. Think about it – are you ready to wear, let alone pay more for recycled clothes? In reality, China policymakers may have made that choice for you now.