How China’s T2 Textile Mills Showcase the Future of Sustainable Manufacturing

During a recent industry visit, Amin Nurul, Sustainability Environment Manager (South Asia), H&M, toured to leading textile factories across China. It became evident that the country’s T2 fabric mills are rapidly redefining sustainability standards in global manufacturing. During the visit in multiple Tier-2 (T2) fabric mills in China, he observed this sector is undergoing a rapid transformation.

These mills, responsible for material and fabric processing, are redefining sustainability standards not through isolated upgrades but through large-scale, consistent implementation of advanced technologies. A central focus across the mills is the aggressive reduction of energy and water consumption, where heat-recovery systems and advanced electrification pathways are driving visible progress toward net-zero goals.

Sustainability is no longer a distant ambition or optional upgrade; it is now woven into factory design, energy planning, and daily production workflows—supported by strategic investments and clear operational direction.

Also Read: The DPP Shift: Is Bangladesh Ready?

The images from Amin’s visit—including a hot water heat pump, steam heat pump, hot water storage tank and heat-recycling system—directly reflect the systems now shaping China’s new industrial benchmark.

A New Standard in Green Manufacturing

Across the mills, the commitment to reducing emissions, conserving resources and digitising production was visible at every stage. China’s T2 mills are moving beyond incremental improvements, instead redesigning systems to support long-term decarbonisation.

The technologies below represent the core of this shift and provide measurable environmental gains:

Heat-Recycling Systems: Capturing Stenter and Dryer Exhaust

Stenters and dryers generate high-temperature exhaust during drying and heat-setting. Rather than venting this heat into the atmosphere, modern mills recover it through:

Air-to-air heat recovery, which preheats incoming air

Air-to-water heat recovery, which converts heat into hot water for use in dyeing or washing

These systems reduce fuel consumption and stabilise finishing-line temperatures. Depending on configuration, mills can achieve noticeable reductions in energy use.

High-Efficiency Heat Pumps: Replacing Boiler-Dependent Systems

One of the most transformative changes across Chinese T2 mills is the rapid adoption of industrial heat pumps. These units capture low-grade waste heat (from exhaust, wastewater, warm process streams) and upgrade it into heat that can be reused in production—reducing reliance on boilers and fossil fuels.

Hot Water Heat Pumps

These systems convert recovered waste heat into usable hot water for dyeing, washing and other processes.

Steam Heat Pumps

A more advanced version, steam heat pumps generate high-temperature heat or steam that can supplement or replace parts of boiler operations.

Together, these systems form a major step toward electrified and lower-emission production.

Hot Water Storage Tanks: Buffering and Load Shifting

Thermal storage systems—particularly insulated hot water tanks—allow mills to hold the heat produced by heat pumps or recovered from exhaust. This enables:

• Stable supply of hot water across shifting production cycles
• Load shifting away from peak energy hours
• Improved integration with renewables or variable electricity prices

Electrification of Thermal Processes

As part of long-term decarbonisation, many mills are transitioning from gas-fired or steam-based thermal systems toward electric alternatives, such as:

• Electric stenters
• Electric dryers
• Electrified heating systems
• Solar-integrated auxiliary power systems

This trend aligns with net-zero sourcing requirements and benefits from China’s expanding renewable-energy share.

Digital Monitoring, Synchronisation and Efficiency Control

Beyond hardware upgrades, digitalisation is reshaping how mills operate. Modern mills now deploy integrated monitoring systems that:

• Track energy, heat, water and machine performance in real time
• Synchronise machine loads for peak efficiency
• Detect inefficiencies early
• Benchmark production lines using sustainability KPIs

This shift from reactive management to data-driven optimisation enhances both environmental and financial performance.

Also Read: Robert Antoshak on Trade, Tariffs and Transformation

Practical Considerations for Mill Integration

For mills planning to adopt similar technologies, several implementation steps are essential:

• Conduct a heat-mapping assessment to identify waste-heat sources
• Match technologies to process requirements (temperature, volume, variability)
• Incorporate proper filtration, corrosion protection and maintenance procedures
• Pair heat-recovery hardware with thermal storage and digital controls for maximum ROI
• Pilot systems on one finishing line before scaling

A Roadmap for Bangladesh

According to Amin Nurul, the innovations observed in China offer a highly relevant roadmap for Bangladesh. As global buyers tighten sustainability requirements and carbon reporting becomes the industry standard, Bangladesh must accelerate investment in:

• Heat-recovery technologies
• Electrified dryers, stenters and heating systems
• Industrial heat pumps
• Thermal storage systems
• Smart monitoring and real-time performance software
• Renewable integration

These are not only climate-friendly solutions—they are strategic tools that will determine competitiveness over the next decade.

Conclusion

China’s T2 textile mills demonstrate that technological investment, strong policy signals and long-term planning enable sustainability at scale. The transformation underway shows how heat recovery, electrification and digitalisation can reshape an energy-intensive sector.

For Bangladesh, the path forward is clear that adopting these technologies will be essential to achieving net-zero goals and securing continued sourcing from global brands.