S Korea unveils Textile and Fashion Industry Competitiveness Strategy

Trade, industry and energy minister Dukgeun Ahn made the announcement while meeting representatives from domestic textile and fashion companies and experts at the Textile Centre in Seoul to discuss industry issues and future directions.

His ministry is focused on leveraging the strategy to nurture advanced industrial textiles, facilitate the eco-friendly transition of the textile and fashion value chain, diffuse the application of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technology, and bolster the textile and fashion industrial base, an official release said.

The objective is to help the domestic industry overcome production contractions as latecomer countries are gaining ground and by 2030, expand the current 2-3-per cent global market share of industrial and eco-friendly textiles to 10 per cent and raise the level of digital transformation from the 35 per cent now to 60 per cent to develop Korea into a textile and fashion powerhouse.

The ministry plans to prioritise the development of key technologies in advanced industrial textiles to world-class level by 2030, including high-performance aramids, high-strength carbon fibres, extreme-condition resistant marine fibres, import-dependent advanced eco-friendly textiles and next-generation electronic communication textiles.

An Industrial Textile Alliance will be launched this year to uncover promising products and technologies, while a Tech Textile Product Certification Evaluation Support Centre will be set up next year to assist the credibility verification on industrial textile quality and performance.

Meanwhile, a KRW-2.9 trillion policy funding will be used this year for supporting the technical consulting and facility investment efforts of apparel companies that incorporate industrial textiles in their product portfolio.

The ministry will assist the eco-friendly transition of the textile and fashion industry value chain, for which the ministry aims to secure technologies on fibre-to-fibre textile recycling, plant-based vegan leather and such biomass fibres, and biodegradable (at least 90 per cent) fibre manufacturing by 2030.

Not only that, KRW 31 billion will be injected into developing technologies for waterless dyeing, wastewater reduction and improving energy efficiency to support green and low-carbon transition of textile production processes, and also go towards providing waste heat recovery facility to more than 200 small and medium enterprises by 2026.

The ministry plans to establish and distribute the ‘Carbon Emissions Measurement Standardisation Model’ by 2026 and introduce the K-Eco Design Guidelines in 2025 (to be enforced in 2027) to promote the recycling and use of eco-friendly materials in textile and apparel manufacturing.

By 2026, the ministry intends to develop an AI system for harnessing data and AI in new product planning that would shorten the design period by over 80 per cent, while also laying the initial groundwork this year for a connected micro factory that would enable high-speed production based on business collaborations.

Automation facilities will be supplied to over 250 companies by 2028 for processes that are repetitive and in severe lack of manpower. Two more Meta Fashion Playgrounds will be added to the current one to expand the space for experiencing and creating to support the growth of the meta fashion market.

The ministry will also continue to strengthen the textile and fashion industry base. By 2028, 1,000 professional master's and doctoral graduates in eco-friendly and digital will be trained to meet the rising demand for talent in such high-tech areas across the textile and fashion industry.

In addition, it plans to engage in cross-ministerial consultations on measures for obtaining globally recognised sustainability certifications for overseas market penetration, participating in more international exhibitions, and expanding the use of quality homegrown textiles in public sectors.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)