On the morning of June 4, reporters from *Xinhua Daily* and *Jiaohuidian* visited Saihui Technology's smart production workshop in Rugao, Nantong. The modern, tidy, and spacious facility exuded a high-tech atmosphere. Sheets of self-developed PLA greige fabric moved through a seamless process-from weaving and sewing to quality control-transforming into finished garments. This demonstrated the company's robust "smart manufacturing" capabilities in bringing PLA fabric production to scale.
PLA is a renewable, bio-based, and eco-friendly fiber derived from the fermentation of crops such as corn, cassava, and straw. Naturally mildly acidic, the fiber aligns with the pH level of human skin and offers benefits such as long-lasting antibacterial properties, mite resistance, and excellent moisture-wicking breathability. It is fully biodegradable in industrial composting environments within three to six months, produces no harmful emissions during its lifecycle, and serves as a key functional fabric for the textile industry's low-carbon transition. Historically, high raw material and weaving costs limited PLA fabric usage primarily to intimate apparel, making it difficult to scale production for mass-market categories like T-shirts and casual wear; bringing eco-friendly fabrics into everyday consumer use has long been a challenge for the industry.
To address this issue, JD Fashion-a quality-focused label under JD.com-launched a joint fabric R&D project with Saihui Technology. The collaboration involved comprehensive customization, ranging from yarn composition to fabric structure, and innovatively employed a double-sided fabric construction technique. While retaining PLA's core attributes-such as skin-friendliness, antibacterial properties, odor elimination, and moisture-wicking-the process optimized the fabric's structural crispness. This solved common consumer pain points associated with traditional heavyweight T-shirts, such as stuffiness, sweat accumulation, and odor buildup. By overcoming material cost and manufacturing bottlenecks, the partnership expanded the use of high-end eco-friendly fabrics from intimate apparel accessories to a full range of garments, significantly enhancing cost-performance and paving the way for the widespread adoption of eco-friendly fabrics in everyday clothing. The 2026 JD.com "618" shopping festival recently kicked off, witnessing a surge in sales for the Polylactic Acid (PLA) fabric clothing line jointly developed by JD FASHION and Saihui Technology. During the initial 52-hour "Grand Opening" phase of the event, the transaction volume for items in this series skyrocketed by 220% month-over-month. This success also drove a doubling in sales for nearly 50 footwear and apparel categories bearing the JD FASHION label on the platform. Behind these impressive results lies a collaborative effort to overcome industry bottlenecks and integrate the entire value chain-spanning fabric R&D, intelligent manufacturing, end-to-end quality control, and retail sales. By successfully mass-producing eco-friendly fabrics using cutting-edge technology, the partnership has propelled the domestic garment industry's transition from traditional contract manufacturing to a model of collaborative value-chain creation, thereby pioneering a new market segment for green fashion consumption in China. Saihui Technology is a "Little Giant" enterprise (recognized for specialization, refinement, uniqueness, and innovation) based in Nantong, Jiangsu, and a publicly listed national high-tech enterprise; with over two decades of deep expertise in fabric R&D, the company holds 12 invention patents and 57 utility model patents.
Ma Yuwen, Director of International Markets and E-commerce Operations at Saihui Technology, explained that the company operates a Jiangsu Provincial Graduate Workstation and a New Fabric Engineering Technology Research Center. Its business spans four key sectors: fabric R&D, brand operations, international trade, and intelligent manufacturing. The company has established five major domestic production bases-located in Rugao, Tengzhou (Shandong), Lianyungang, Huai'an, and Yunnan-and operates overseas factories in locations such as Bangladesh. These facilities are supported by in-house dyeing and finishing plants and standardized fabric laboratories, all managed via a comprehensive digital control system that oversees the entire process-from fabric sampling and 3D digital pattern review to mass garment production and third-party quality inspections. Additionally, Saihui Technology owns the proprietary brand VIV&LUL and supplies products to renowned domestic and international brands such as Peacebird, NEIWAI, NetEase Yanxuan, ZARA, and Walmart. Holding multiple authoritative international production certifications-including BSCI, WRAP, and Sedex-the company's robust R&D capabilities and large-scale manufacturing strength provide a solid foundation for the successful mass production of PLA fabrics.
