Chinese merchandise ship cool comforts to world amid heatwaves-Xinhua

HANGZHOU, July 31 (Xinhua) — As international temperatures hit file highs and heatwaves blanket a lot of the Northern Hemisphere, Chinese producers are stepping up with progressive cooling options, from superior textiles to sensible devices, to satisfy surging international demand for warmth reduction.

At a brand new materials know-how firm in east China’s Zhejiang Province, a batch of cooling material rolled off the manufacturing line and was then neatly packaged earlier than being loaded into 18 containers for export.

Measuring roughly 4 million meters in size, this load of material, valued at greater than 7 million yuan (roughly 980,000 U.S. {dollars}), might be offered to markets within the Middle East, Europe and North America.

Since 2021, this cool-touch materials has pushed common annual gross sales development of about 25 p.c for its producer Yibei, an organization primarily based within the metropolis of Huzhou in northern Zhejiang, whereas delivering heat-relief options to shoppers worldwide, mentioned Zhu Yifan, normal supervisor of Yibei.

Originally designed as a garment lining, this materials’s affordability and skin-friendly consolation have fueled surprising demand for it as a main material, particularly after the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, when it gained viral traction in nations like Türkiye, Egypt, Iran and the United Arab Emirates to make scarves and robes.

The EU-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service has confirmed the 12 months 2024, recording a worldwide common temperature of 15.1 levels Celsius, because the warmest 12 months globally since 1850, and June 2025 because the world’s third-warmest June on file, reaching 16.46 levels Celsius globally.

Amid the worldwide warming pattern, Chinese textile producers like Yibei are innovating their merchandise and scaling manufacturing to fulfill surging demand for cooling merchandise.

On JD.com, a significant Chinese e-commerce platform, searches for “cool touch” merchandise reveal almost 20 cooling objects, together with towels, bedsheets and pillows. The best-selling cooling towel has surpassed 4 million orders, with its interior layer containing menthol and different energetic cooling elements that launch long-lasting coolness when uncovered to water.

“With intensifying global climate change and consumers’ increasing pursuit of quality of life, the demand for cooling products has prompted companies to explore different materials, techniques and functional cooling products,” mentioned Dai Junming, an industrial professional of the trendy textile know-how innovation heart of Zhejiang.

A number one province in China’s textile business, Zhejiang exported textiles and attire value 92 billion U.S. {dollars} in 2024, accounting for greater than 30 p.c of the nation’s complete.

The cooling increase isn’t restricted to textiles. Data from Alibaba.com, the cross-border B2B platform of China’s e-commerce big Alibaba, present that moveable mini followers, cellular air conditioners, ice makers, double-door fridges and freezers have emerged as common bought classes over the previous month — with gross sales surging almost 77 p.c and orders rising by 56 p.c 12 months on 12 months.

Before Father’s Day this 12 months, a U.S. content material creator really helpful a hat as a present in her brief video on TikTook, amassing over 9 million views and sparking a shopping for frenzy.

The star of the video — a solar hat designed with two solar-powered followers aimed toward delivering a cool summer season expertise — hails from town of Yiwu, additionally in Zhejiang, which is famend as a small commodity hub that trades with over 230 nations and areas.

At Zhejiang Senwai Garments Co., Ltd., which holds the patent for this fan hat’s manufacturing and R&D, General Manager Jiang Yongtao revealed that the hat, priced at nearly 40 U.S. {dollars}, started test-marketing in March earlier than surging to reputation two months later.

Within simply 28 days of its official launch, 11,100 items had been offered, producing over 3.2 million yuan in income. To date, the corporate has offered some 500,000 items of those fan hats.

“The hat provides both shade and cooling relief,” Jiang mentioned, noting that the miniature followers may also be charged by USB on cloudy days.

The firm can be growing a winter model — a heated cap meant to remodel headwear from mere equipment to therapeutic instruments, thereby extending the attain of this “made-in-China” phenomenon past summer season.

“Hit products may become outdated, but the ability to consistently identify needs and create bestsellers never will,” Jiang mentioned. ■