April 15, 2022

Joint Communiqué of the 13th ACFIF (Asian Chemical Fiber Industries
Federation) Conference
For over more than a quarter-century since the Asian Chemical Fiber Industries Federation(ACFIF) was founded in 1996, Asia has built relationships of long-term cooperation in thechemical fiber industry. During this time, chemical fiber production by ACFIF members
continued to grow and accounted for around 90% of global chemical fiber production in 2021.
Going forward, global demand for fiber is expected to continue growing due to population
increases and improved standards of living, especially in emerging countries. Since it isdifficult to expand natural fiber production because it competes with food production,
chemical fiber is expected to lead the growth in fiber demand.
After the 12th ACFIF Conference in 2019, the world was dealt a heavy blow by the Covid19 pandemic. During that time, chemical fiber and chemical fiber products gained renewedrecognition for their role in preventing the spread of infection and assisting treatment. Society
sought a stable supply and once again recognized its importance.
Furthermore, in the post-Covid era, governments of various countries are accelerating
movements to build back industrial competitiveness while also tackling climate change,
striving to achieve the UN SDGs, and shifting to a resource circulation economic model. Assuch, awareness of sustainability is also rising among consumers.
Under these circumstances, engaging in initiatives to realize a sustainable society has
become a pressing matter for the Asian chemical fiber industry. Therefore, the theme of the
13th ACFIF Conference was “Chemical fiber industry in Asia supporting the realization of asustainable society.”
In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, the 13th ACFIF Conference was held online and split
into two parts: Part I held in 2021 and Part II in 2022.
Part I was successfully held on April 22, 2021, with all nine ACFIF members in attendance(China, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Chinese Taipei, Thailand andJapan).
During the conference, new board appointments were approved. Mr. Akihiro Nikkaku,President of the Japan Chemical Fibers Association (JCFA), succeeded Mr. Ravi Shankar,
Chairman of the Indonesian Fiber and Filament Yarn Makers Association (APSyFI) as thenew Chairman of ACFIF. Mr. Ikuo Takeuchi, who took over as the President of JCFA in July
2021 has been the Chairman of ACFIF since then. In addition, Mr. Kuk Jin Kim, Chairman ofthe Korea Chemical Fibers Association (KCFA) was appointed as the Vice-Chairman ofACFIF, and Mr. Kenichi Tomiyoshi (Executive Vice President and Director General of JCFA)
was appointed as the Secretary General of ACFIF.
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In the conference with the theme “Chemical fiber industry in Asia supporting the realizationof a sustainable society,” the members discussed various challenges relating to sustainabilityin three categories: “realization of resource circulation,” “reduction of environmental burden,”and “expansion of chemical fiber products that contribute to the realization of a sustainablesociety.” The discussions were then summarized and released in a position paper.
Part II of the 13th ACFIF Conference was held on April 14 and 15, 2022, once again online
and with all nine ACFIF members in attendance.
The following is a summary of the highlights of the 13th ACFIF Conference Part II.
1. On the first day of the conference, each member gave a report on the situation in theircountry or region. They described the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on theircountry or region’s chemical fiber industry and reported on sustainability initiatives,leading to animated discussions.
2. On the second day, in sessions to report on special themes, in-depth reports andanimated discussions took place regarding the challenges summarized in the position
paper. The nine special themes from each country and region covered supply/demand
outlook and challenges in the chemical fiber industry; PET recycling; circular supply
chain of chemical fiber products; non-petrochemical and bio-materials; environmental
issues and product safety in the supply chain; standardization; development of highfunctioning and high-performance chemical fibers; and marine plastic pollution.
3. The exchange of information on sustainability efforts and challenges in each ACFIF
member showed that advances were being made particularly in PET recycling, CO2
reduction and microplastic pollution, along with efforts to promote standardization.
Meanwhile, progress in fiber-to-fiber recycling and the use of plant-derived raw
materials differed between countries and regions, but common challenges wereidentified.
4. It was also confirmed that in order to further advance sustainability efforts, we need tonot only carry out appropriate follow-up actions by sharing information and cooperatingwith ACFIF members, but also seek support and cooperation from governments,related industries and consumers. For details, please see the attachment “Efforts andNew Challenges in the Asian Chemical Fiber Industry Toward the Realization of aSustainable Society.”
5. Presentations were given by the following guest speakers: Parliamentary Vice-Minister
Kazuchika Iwata of Economy, Trade and Industry, Director General Frédéric Van Houteof the European Man-Made Fibres Association (CIRFS), and President Nobuaki
Terasaka of the Kaken Test Center.
6. The 14th ACFIF Conference will be hosted by KCFA and is scheduled to take place inMay of 2024.
2(Attachment)
April 15, 2022
Efforts and New Challenges in the Asian Chemical Fiber Industry
Toward the Realization of a Sustainable Society
Shifting to a resource circulation model and working on measures to address climatechange are pressing matters for the Asian chemical fiber industry to realize a sustainablesociety.
The Asian Chemical Fiber Industries Federation (ACFIF) has put together this document
to record the progress of such sustainability efforts, recognize the challenges, and identify
the areas of understanding and cooperation we seek from governments, related industries
and consumers.
Going forward, ACFIF will exchange and share information between member countries
and regions, follow up on the progress made on various challenges, and support theinitiatives in each country and region.
A, B and C in this document indicate the following:
A. Background and understanding of current conditions
B. Challenges
C. Newly identified challenges
1. Realization of resource circulation(1) PET recycling
A. ACFIF members are actively engaged in the production of chemical fibers that use
collected PET bottles instead of petrochemical raw materials, and production volumes
are rising. We aim to further increase production by expanding the use of recycled PETbottles.
B. As ever, the challenge is developing technologies to make full use of recycled PET
materials, such as removing impurities, developing applications, securing a stable supply
of collected PET bottles, and cooperating with national and local governments to buildused PET bottles collection systems.
C. In addition, new challenges were also identified: raise the level of collection and sorting;enhance quality by establishing bottle specifications (labelling and additive regulations todesign bottles that are easy to recycle); implement eco-friendly procurement systems toincrease demand; build a traceability system; stabilize prices of recycled PET flakes;
establish a carbon footprint standard; and improve the reputation of recycled products
among consumers.
3(2) Fiber-to-fiber recycling
A. In terms of the recycling of textile products, which is crucial to achieving advanced
resource circulation, some Asian chemical fiber companies have already begun thecommercialization of fiber-to-fiber recycling of clothing and fishing nets. Going forward,
we will expand areas of practical use by overcoming technical issues and various
problems related to the collection of used products. We will contribute to resource
circulation by building a closed-loop recycling system for final products made of chemical
fibers.
B. For a textile product to be recycled through material or chemical recycling methods (byreturning products to their polymer or monomer states), it must be designed for easy
recycling. The first challenge is to recycle used textile products that are close to monomaterials. When applying new chemical recycling technologies such as liquefaction andgasification, we must also analyze their effectiveness in terms of cost and from various
environmental perspectives, including CO2 emissions.
C. Efforts by the chemical fiber industry alone will not be enough to carry out full-scale fiberto-fiber recycling. We will need cooperation from downstream industries and consumers
to build a collection system for used textile products. Government support is also
desirable to develop technologies, especially material sorting technologies and mixedmaterial fiber recycling technologies, in addition to building a collection system for used
textile products. Traceability and cost also present challenges.
(3) Use of plant-derived raw materials (bio-based fibers)
A. Plant-derived raw materials (bio-based fibers) are excellent in that they do not dependon finite fossil resources, and they do not emit CO2 during their life cycle, even if they
are incinerated at the time of disposal. This contributes to promoting a circular economy
and tackling climate change, making further growth desirable. In Asia, the commercial
production of chemical fibers using fully or partially plant-derived raw materials is growing.
B. When increasing the amount of production and fully expanding the range of applicablefibers, it will be necessary to take measures, such as using only leftover parts of edible
crops, to avoid competing with food production and prevent the destruction of forests andother parts of the environment. We must compare, in terms of the quality and cost,chemical fibers using plant-derived raw materials with those using petrochemical raw
materials, and work on expanding the types of use for bio-based fibers.
C. To expand the market, we must swiftly establish a method of evaluating bio-based
contents and a certification system based thereupon. It would also be desirable to receive
various government supports in terms of technology development and to engage inactivities to improve the reputation of bio-based fibers among consumers.
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2. Reduction of environmental burden(1) Reduction of CO2 emissions
A. Under the Paris Agreement, Asian countries and regions are working to curb climatechange. Each government has set future carbon-neutral targets and is engaged in efforts
to reduce CO2 across society as a whole, such as reducing CO2 emissions resulting
from chemical fiber manufacturing and expanding the use of plant-derived and recycled
raw materials. The Asian chemical fiber industry will respond to climate change issues
from both “defensive” and “offensive” perspectives.
B. In addition to actively promoting energy-saving and environmentally-friendly technologies
and equipment in chemical fiber manufacturing, we must accelerate efforts to address
global warming and other climate change issues through products and technology that
contribute to protecting the environment. Such efforts include weight reduction oftransportation equipment, development of comfortable and functional materials such as
thermal and cooling materials, and purification of water and air, etc.
C. Furthermore, for the chemical fiber industry to more effectively reduce CO2 emissions, itis necessary to receive government policy support to: establish a method for calculating
emissions and set up related standards and labels; ensure stable and low-cost carbonfree energy; effectively operate various measures contributing to the reduction ofgreenhouse gas emissions; and install environmentally-friendly equipment.
(2) Response to the problem of marine plastic pollution
A. The Osaka Blue Ocean Vision agreement in 2019 at the G20 Osaka Summit sets a goalof reducing additional pollution by marine plastic litter to zero by 2050. The Asian
chemical fiber industry will work toward the effective use of resources by promoting
recycling and will seriously address the problem of fiber fragments that come from textile
products. To implement appropriate and effective measures, we are urgently working toobtain scientific knowledge of their amount/distribution in the ocean, the originating
sources, runoff routes, and impact on the ecosystem, while also trying to standardize anecessary test method.
B. Based on this scientific knowledge, we must address the problem of marine plastic
pollution not only through textile products, but also through cooperation with relatedindustries such as washing machine, detergent, and apparel or textile manufacturingindustries. When addressing this problem with the use of biodegradable fibers, it will benecessary to carefully make sure that they will be completely decomposed in the oceanand soil under various conditions.
C. Additionally, related information, such as appropriate disposal methods for used textile
products, sewage system infrastructure, and current leading cases being considered in5

Europe, must be shared within ACFIF in a timely manner for it to respond to the problem.
Other challenges include considering how to reduce the shedding of fiber fragments
when doing laundry (for example, recommending the use of laundry nets) andcommunicating correct information to consumers. On a corporate level, we must movequickly to further the development of materials that generate less fiber fragments andmaterials made of recycled marine plastic waste.
(3) Chemical substance management
A. Chemical substance management regulations are intensifying globally, especially inEurope, and restrictions are also emerging in the Asian chemical fiber industry over theuse of chemical substances, processing agents, dyes, etc. We will obtain the latest safety
information and scientific knowledge of chemical substances, and continue our efforts
toward reducing environmental pollution in the chemical fiber industry and the textile
industry chain as a whole, such as by replacing high-risk substances with alternatives.
B. It is necessary to appropriately shift to production with low environmental impact andmaterials that use environmentally-friendly chemical substance, while paying close
attention to changes in environmental regulations and risk assessments in countries
around the world.
C. In addition, government policy support to develop alternative substances of equal quality
and cost to existing products is also desirable. Furthermore, it would be beneficial to aligndisparate global regulations.
(4) Challenges to be addressed by the textile industry chain as a whole[Challenges that must be addressed by the chemical fiber industry]
In recent years, greater attention has been focused on labor and human rights issues acrossthe textile industry chain as a whole. This has led to the formulation of due diligence
guidelines, implementation of certification systems, and promotion of ESG management. It is
important that the chemical fiber industry in Asia respond to these movements.
[Challenges that must be addressed by cooperating with related industries]
It is necessary to cooperate with related industries to resolve the following challenges thatneed to be improved in the textile supply chain as a whole.
(a) Overproduction and disposal of apparel products.
There is increased movement toward customized production utilizing digitaltechnologies and building recycling systems.
(b) Mass consumption of water during the stages of textile dyeing and processing.
Technologies such as supercritical CO2 dyeing that does not use water are being
developed for practical applications.
63. Expansion of chemical fiber products that contribute to the realization of asustainable society(1) Contributions of the chemical fiber industry in the post-Covid era
A. With the spread of Covid-19, the importance of personal protective equipment (PPE) for
medical and hygienic purposes, such as masks, medical gowns, protective clothing, andsanitary wipes, is increasing. Chemical fibers have contributed significantly to efforts tocontrol infections around the world through the supply of PPE mentioned above.
B. It is necessary to build a system for providing a stable supply of PPE in emergencies,
and to further improve the performance and functionality of such products.
C. Further challenges include establishing a method to evaluate the functionality and safetyof PPE and developing technologies to process and recycle used PPE. At the same time,
we must discuss measures against the oversupply of PPE and the competition presented
by cheap imports.
(2) Promotion of standardization activities
A. In Asia, as consumers become more sophisticated, and as we promote a circular
economy and respond to climate change as explained above, there is an increasing needto visualize the added value of chemical fibers as a way to ensure security, safety, andreliability more than ever.
B. It is necessary to properly understand the situation of the increasingly sophisticated Asian
chemical fiber market and to continue promoting activities for standardization in the Asian
chemical fiber industry, such as cooperation in activities associated with ISO standards.
To this end, the ACFIF Working Committee of Standardization will become an importantplatform.
C. In recent years, the importance of standardization activities that lead to promoting
sustainability, such as CO2 reduction and advancing a circular economy, is being rerecognized. It is important to carry out standardization activities with this in mind. At thesame time, we have noticed a lack of specialized knowledge among some people,
making it necessary to increase support in raising awareness and educating personnel
on standardization activities.

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