"Yellow mother-in-law, yellow mother-in-law, teach me yarn, teach me cloth, two bobbins, two pieces of cloth......" A few ballads show how important the textile industry has long been in Shanghai. For Shanghai, fashion is not only the root of history, but also a bright international business card, showing the city's soft power and local cultural confidence.
So far Shanghai fashion consumption industry is still quite important. "The 14th Five-Year Plan for the Development of Shanghai Advanced Manufacturing Industry" proposes to build a "3+6" new industrial system, and for the first time, the fashion consumption industry is included in the six key industries supporting the future development of the city.
However, the booming textile industry is putting pressure on the environment. According to Du Huanzheng, director of the Institute of Ecological Civilization and Circular Economy of Tongji University and director of the Institute of Circular Economy and Technology of Yangtze River Delta, the textile industry has become the world's second largest polluting industry after the oil industry. "One of the reasons why the carbon emissions of the textile industry remain high for a long time is that the textile raw material is mainly petroleum fiber, and the energy consumption in the production process is large. Currently, China produces about 50 million tons of polyester a year to meet its clothing needs, and the raw material for polyester is petroleum."
As a fashion city, Shanghai fashion consumption industry to reduce emissions and carbon action is urgent. "The current sustainable fashion industry in Shanghai can meet the needs of customers at different consumption levels." Liu Peifang, deputy secretary-general of the Shanghai Garment Industry Association, told chinane.com that in addition to sustainable designer brands with high prices, there are also low-carbon clothing brands for mass consumption. "There are also some traditional enterprises that are constantly thriving and innovating under the requirements of the new era," she said.
Shanghai Fashion Group (hereinafter referred to as: Shanghai Fashion Group) is the first batch of state-owned garment industry companies established after the founding of New China. It has been more than 70 years since its establishment.
There is no need to weave yarn into fabric, then cut and sew, but directly put yarn into the machine to quickly produce a pair of underwear without side stitches. A subsidiary brand of Shanghai Service Group focuses on innovation in production mode, which can compress the production process of more than four links and three to four months into just a few days. Zhang Chong, the chief designer of the Zhishang e-commerce branch of Shanghai Fashion Group, sighs, "This mode of production has a very short response cycle, and the whole manufacturing process is very labor-saving and highly efficient. A pair of trousers is woven from yarn to the end, so there is no need to stock a lot of fabric in the early stage."
The choice of raw materials is also a common way to reduce carbon emissions. Ju Xin, assistant designer of Zhishang E-commerce branch of Shanghai Fashion Group, will abandon chemical fiber in the design and choose artificial leather made of cotton and hemp, mulberry silk and pineapple fiber as clothing fabrics. "If chemical fiber is not natural enough material, first of all, it will consume a lot of resources in the production process, and second, it is difficult to degrade."
"If it's computer printing, you need to spray paint the color, and the use of chemicals in this process can also affect the environment." Pointing to a silk dress, which uses technology to print leaves directly on the fabric, she told reporters that in her view, to promote sustainable fashion, it is essential to ensure the beauty of clothing. "Designers need to think about how to maximize the use and beauty of environmental materials, and then create products that people love."
Emission reduction measures emerge in an endless stream. Can the results be intuitively felt? Jinba Men's Wear, which has been in Shanghai for 14 years, released China's first set of carbon footprint assessment for business leisure men's wear in 2021. Consumers can track and check the carbon footprint of the product in real time by scanning the carbon label with the QR code on the clothing tag. The carbon footprint of the product is clear from the mining and processing of raw materials to the manufacturing life cycle of the product.
Hong Boming, CEO and creative director of Jin Ba Men's wear, told chinanews that carbon footprints are nothing new in the textile and apparel sector. However, the evaluation covers the mining and processing of raw materials to the manufacturing stage of products, including clothing industry, textile industry, printing and dyeing industry, agriculture and other fields. The acquisition of upstream data is a big challenge, and it is difficult to get support from suppliers at all stages.
High costs are another big pain point for the sustainable fashion industry. Liu Peifang believes that in the face of "green fashion", many Chinese consumers are still very sensitive to price and have low tolerance for premium. "The early stage of brand research and development, production, transportation, recycling, and even store lighting and commodity display have requirements, so the cost will naturally rise."
The big brands with strong financial resources can still access more resources and have stronger confidence and strength to support the development of low-carbon cause, but the small enterprises with weak strength have no way out? Wang Ying, head of the garment industry department of Shanghai Fashion Group, believes that for small brands and individual designers, co-branding with large companies is an effective solution. "They can provide more advanced ideas for cooperation. As a platform, Shanghai Service Group can discuss with existing supply chain factories or partner universities whether the idea is possible to be implemented, and how to implement it."
Textile "old money" keep pace 
