Cotton Prices Slump, Why Do We Wear Less Pure Cotton Clothes?

Cotton futures in Zhengzhou exchange for the past year

Last year, a lot of domestic agricultural products were fired and prices were soaring. Since this year, many varieties of ginger, garlic and traditional Chinese medicine have cooled down, and prices have fallen sharply. The price of ginger in Shandong has fallen by more than 90%, and the loss of ginger is heavy. Now the price of cotton fell sharply, is it also the result of the hype? The industry chain from cotton, we found that there are many other reasons for the decline in cotton prices.

seek

Imports of cotton decreased by 10% over the same period last year.

Zhejiang twin top Textile Co., Ltd. is one of the main cotton import enterprises in Zhejiang. The company imports 30 thousand tons of cotton from the United States every year, accounting for more than half of the cotton used for production. 90% of all cotton fabrics produced are sold to domestic garment manufacturers. But in the first three quarters of this year, the total import of cotton reached more than 10 thousand tons.

Miss Hu, head of the company's purchasing department, said that orders for garment enterprises decreased this year and carried them to the upper reaches, resulting in a decline in the order of double reaching textile fabrics, and the demand for cotton has also decreased considerably compared with previous years.

Zhejiang's foreign trade statistics confirm this view from the side. Although the export apparel and clothing accessories grew by 20.3% in the first three quarters, there was a decrease in August and September. Some people in the industry say that this year, the garment trade enterprises are "not comfortable": the total scale is growing, but the unit price is increasing, and the number of exports is actually decreasing.

Hangzhou Customs released statistics, said the first three quarters of this year, Zhejiang cotton import and export volume and price down phenomenon. In the first three quarters of this year, the Province imported 111 thousand tons of cotton, a decrease of 9.1% over the same period last year. In terms of price, the average import price of cotton imports in Zhejiang in May was $4013 per ton, a record high. In June, the average price of cotton imports began to fall, and the average import price was $2784 per ton in September.

Orders fell from 400 thousand to 150 thousand pieces.

Orders for cotton garments are greatly reduced, cotton fabric is reduced and cotton demand is decreasing.

The products of Hangzhou Yongan Garments Co., Ltd. mainly export to European developed countries such as Germany, France, Italy, Spain and so on. Among them, the sales of women's clothing account for more than 75% of the company's export sales, and the orders come from some famous brands. Compared with previous years, the order of garment making in Yongan this year is very different from fabric.

Zhou Jun, general manager of Yongan clothing, said that in the first two years, most of the orders received by the company were all cotton fabrics. Generally, 400 thousand cotton dresses were to be produced in a year. From this year's list, only 150 thousand pieces of cotton fabrics were required, only 40% of the previous ones. The orders for the other 250 thousand garments require all kinds of chemical fiber fabrics.

The price of chemical fiber fabrics is nearly 30% less than that of cotton.

Improvement of fabric production technology

"Compared with cotton fabrics, the price of chemical fiber fabrics is much cheaper. The current price of all cotton fabrics is about 22 yuan / meter, and the average 16 yuan / meter of chemical fiber is already a good material. Zhou Jun said, in fact, the use of chemical fiber instead of cotton was gradually started after the financial crisis in 2008. Because of the economic depression in Europe and America, the purchasing power weakened, and the cheaper chemical fiber fabrics began to win more and more markets.

In addition to price factors, the trend of popularity is also promoting the wide application of chemical fiber fabrics. The vast majority of Hangzhou's Hong Yu garments are made of chemical fabrics. The company's relevant responsible person said, in fact, it is precisely the upgrading of chemical fiber production technology that accelerates its replacement of cotton. "Now the quality of chemical fiber fabrics is thick and clear. Compared with before, the fabric is softer and feels better."

In addition, compared with cotton fabrics, chemical fiber fabric printing has better color and more beautiful fabrics. "Before buying a piece of clothing as a durable product, consider wearing it for several years, emphasizing quality. Nowadays young people are more interested in fashion and fashion. They usually wear only one season and emphasize styles. " Hangzhou Hong Yu clothing official said.

Zhou Jun said that Yongan clothing was the first to make orders for silk clothing, and then the order of linen materials increased. In recent years, it turned to cotton fabrics, and now it is turn to chemical fiber fabrics. In the future, these four kinds of fabrics will be able to keep abreast of the situation.

Fast fashion brand will remove cotton base.

Relocation of production base, reduction of local purchase and decline in demand for cotton

Affected by many factors such as high domestic cotton prices and rising labor wages, the fast fashion giant has shifted its base of pure cotton products to Vietnam, Turkey and Bangladesh, which are cheaper in terms of labor cost and raw materials.

In this year's latest fashion of H&M, ZARA, UNIQLO and other fast fashion brands, it is found that the "MADE IN CHINA" is no longer marked in the producing area of pure cotton products such as T-shirts, printed long skirts and so on, and has become Turkey, Bangladesh and Portugal. More clothing in China's real estate is made of chemical fiber material. Those clothes that feel as comfortable and soft as cotton are not related to cotton and are 100% of chemical fiber products. For example, a suit of white primer, which is soft and slippery, is composed of 95% viscose and 5% elastic fiber. A wool cap made of Zhejiang has 40% polyester fiber, 30% nylon, 22% viscose fiber and 8% rabbit hair. {page_break}

In fact, before the relocation of pure cotton products base by fast fashion brands, many garment manufacturers in China have moved their production bases to Vietnam and other Southeast Asian regions.

Yesterday, the domestic commodity information market news agency announced that the harvest rate of cotton seed in Jiangxi was over 80%, and cotton farmers hoarding more than one kilograms per cotton, and 90% of the 40 cotton processing enterprises were involved in the acquisition. The purchase price of seed cotton was 4.2 yuan -4.3 yuan / kg on that day, which is still down compared with last week's ring ratio.

In some major cotton growing areas of Weifang, Shandong, the purchase price of cotton has been around 4 yuan per catty this year, not more than 4.5 yuan / Jin. At this time last year, the price of seed cotton was close to 6 yuan / Jin, the highest being close to 7 yuan / Jin. Compared with last year, cotton purchase price fell by more than 40% this year.

Due to the worry that cotton prices will continue to fall, cotton farmers' enthusiasm for cotton sales has increased in some areas. However, due to the shortage of funds and the lack of spot demand, the acquisition of cotton enterprises is still cautious.

reality

Underwear, socks, bedding and cotton are all dropping.

Cotton prices are rising and falling, prompting people to study more fabrics instead of cotton fabrics, and also affect household goods, clothing and socks. At present, the new autumn and winter underwear, bedding, socks and towels are listed on the market. It has been found that the cotton content in these pure cotton products is dropping quietly.

Underwear: Cotton plus chemical fiber is very popular.

It's hard to find 100% cotton underwear in a supermarket in Hangzhou. Although some of the underwear that feels soft and comfortable is also advertised as pure cotton products, but carefully looking at labels, we can see that these cotton products contain many chemical fiber components, such as polyester fiber, nylon, viscose, bamboo fiber and so on. Most of the underwear advertised for cotton actually contains less than 85% cotton, and some only 25%.

The new chemical fiber component is the mainstream material of high-end underwear sold in the market, including modal, bamboo fiber, microfiber, Lycra, pearl velvet and so on. A salesperson of underwear brand introduces, the technology of chemical fiber material is very mature now, the clothes made are light and thin, soft, comfortable, and no worse than pure cotton, and it is not easy to deform. Some sweating men like this fabric very much. After sweat is wet, it is easy to dry, unlike cotton underwear.

Bedding: coral velvet became a hot commodity.

The weather is getting colder and colder. How to choose a warm bedding has become a required course for housewives. At present, every big bed product is pushing a product called coral velvet, including coral velvet sheets, blankets, slippers, pajamas and so on.

Cotton prices are soaring, making bedding manufacturers eager to find alternatives to cotton. Coral fleece is made from imported microfiber, which is soft and smooth. It feels comfortable and warm behind it, and the fabric does not pilling, does not lose hair, does not fade, and absorbency is three times that of cotton products.

At the moment, these two products also frequently appear in the sales promotion list of bedding merchants. The average price of hundreds of yuan makes them stand out in the high priced pure cotton products, becoming the most popular products of housewives. {page_break}

Socks: chemical fiber products accounted for half of the country.

At present, socks sold on the market and chemical fiber products account for half of the market. A cotton stocking household said that almost all cotton socks in the market contained less than 85% cotton content. Almost 100% of lady's silk stockings, boat socks and pantyhose are made of purified fiber. Men's cotton socks are rarely seen in all cotton, mostly with "combed cotton" and "mercerized cotton", but in fact they may not have anything to do with cotton.

Infant products: reduced cotton consumption

Many parents pay special attention to the selection of pure cotton when they buy underwear and supplies for their children. This year, the price of pure cotton products for infants and young children has increased significantly, including quilts, sleeping bags, cotton padded clothes, underwear and so on. At the same time, the cotton content of infant products sold in the shopping mall is also dropping quietly. The cotton socks sold in a brand children's clothing store are only 85% cotton, and the remaining components are 15% spandex. Besides sleeping bags and quilts, the cotton quilts inside the sleeping bags and quilts are completely replaced by chemical fiber materials. Some parents complain that they want to buy a quilt of cotton for their children, so they can only buy the cotton billet in the market and find someone to process it. And a child underwear brand business said, now baby products to reduce the amount of cotton is also compelling, cotton can not afford to use.

Little knowledge

New styles of fabrics

In addition to all cotton fabrics, what are the main fabrics in the clothing market? Let's take you to know them.

Modal: also known as beech fiber, it is a kind of regenerated fiber. Raw materials come from spruce and wood pulp made from beech wood, and processed by special spinning process. It was first developed by Lenzing company in Austria. Because its fabric is slippery and comfortable, it is used in the production of high-grade underwear.

Polyester: also known as polyester fiber, in the past, we call it "Dacron", now the popular saying is "Chiffon". Because the fabric is light and thin, it is used to produce women's skirts and shirts. Polyester fabric has higher strength and resilience. Therefore, it is durable, wrinkle resistant and ironing. However, the moisture absorption of polyester fabrics is poor, wearing a stuffy feel, and easy to bring static electricity.

Nylon: also known as nylon, strong, good wear resistance, the residence has the first fiber, its wear resistance is 10 times of cotton fiber, so add more in clothing to increase wear resistance. For example, some outdoor clothing and functional underwear.

Spandex: also known as elastic fiber, is used to increase the elasticity of clothing, and more cotton socks into synthetic socks, or add flexibility in cotton clothing.

Polar fleece and coral velvet are new fabrics developed in recent years. They are long, velvet like chemical fibers, with warmth and good softness. They are suitable for making jackets and bedding.

Post editing

We are not against fashion, but please pay attention to protecting the environment.

Cotton prices are rising. Clothing enterprises have to find new materials instead of cotton fabrics in order to survive and make profits. The maturity of technology makes all kinds of chemical fiber materials have the texture of natural materials, and can create more fashionable and colorful fabrics, which has been recognized by consumers.

However, some experts remind that from the perspective of environmental protection, new materials are comfortable, but most of them are petroleum derived products, and their carbon emissions are obviously higher than those of natural materials. It has been pointed out that the 400 grams of polyester pants are scheduled to last for two years. The energy consumed in their lifetime is about 200 kilowatt hours, equivalent to 47 kilograms of carbon dioxide and 117 times their own weight. In contrast, natural fabrics such as cotton and linen are not synthesized from raw materials such as oil such as chemical fiber, and therefore consume less energy and pollutants. According to the Research Institute of manufacturing research, University of Cambridge, a 250 gram heavy cotton T-shirt gives about 7000 grams of carbon dioxide in its lifetime, which is 28 times its own weight.

In order to protect the environment of the earth, we can try to choose natural material clothing, or extend the wearing life of chemical fiber material clothing, and also make carbon compensation for many trees.