Lighting Industry Insights | Three Departments Issue the “15th Five-Year Plan” for the Development of the Light Industry and Textile Industry

Recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Commerce, and the State Administration for Market Regulation jointly issued the “15th Five-Year Plan for the Development of the Light Industry and Textile Industry” (hereinafter referred to as the “Plan”). This document is a key guide for leading the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries and advancing China’s development into a global powerhouse in light industry. The Plan projects that by 2030, the light industry and textile sector will see continuous improvements in intelligence, green practices, and integration; steady progress in transformation and upgrading; and further optimization of industrial structure and spatial layout. It aims to push the revenue of enterprises above designated size beyond RMB 30 trillion, significantly enhancing China’s position within global supply chains and value chains.

I. Enhancing Industrial Innovation Capability

Strengthening Original Innovation and Key Core Technology Breakthroughs: The Plan calls for refining mechanisms such as the “listing-and-leading” and “race‑horse” systems, supporting key enterprises in establishing innovation platforms like manufacturing innovation centers and corporate technology centers, and encouraging greater investment in independent R&D and tackling critical common technologies. For lighting appliances, the plan specifically highlights breakthroughs in low‑glare and glare‑free optical technologies, the development of multi‑color high‑efficiency white LED technology, and novel light‑guiding, light‑transmitting, and reflective materials. It also promotes research into light‑recipe technologies tailored to diverse application scenarios.

Accelerating the Efficient Commercialization of Scientific and Technological Achievements: Focusing on key areas such as smart homes, new fiber materials, advanced textile products, innovative eco‑friendly membrane materials, specialty paper‑based composites, bio‑based surfactants, high‑performance green leather chemicals, and food nutrition and health, the Plan advocates building pilot‑scale verification platforms. It also urges the rapid establishment of public service platforms for industrial technology infrastructure in fields including smart home interconnectivity, green lighting, high‑end paper products, digital design for footwear, apparel, and luggage, pulp and paper equipment, advanced textiles, and deep processing of dairy products. These efforts aim to enhance inspection and testing capabilities, promote sharing of major instruments and equipment, and accelerate the practical application of high‑quality innovations.

II. Strengthening Supply‑Demand Alignment

Boosting High‑Quality Supply Capacity: In line with the “Implementation Plan for Enhancing the Alignment Between Supply and Demand for Consumer Goods and Further Promoting Consumption,” the Plan issues a catalog promoting age‑friendly products and services, compiles guidelines for upgrading and innovating consumer goods, and vigorously develops new growth drivers such as elderly care products, infant and child items, fashionable beauty products, nutritious health foods, IP‑themed toys, smart home devices, national‑trend apparel, and sports equipment. For youth‑oriented products, the plan suggests developing stationery with vision‑protective features. For productivity‑related service items, it recommends creating light‑recipe illumination solutions suited to the varying growth cycles of mainstream cash crops.

Establishing High‑Level Quality Standards: The Plan calls for revising and formulating more than 30 mandatory national standards and completing approximately 600 urgently needed industry standards.

III. Accelerating Intelligent and Green Transformation

Promoting AI‑Driven Empowerment: The Plan encourages the rapid development of domain‑specific large language models for key industries and the creation of specialized intelligent agents applicable across the entire light industry and textile supply chain. For lighting appliances, the plan proposes breakthroughs in AI‑driven design and 3D‑printing manufacturing technologies, implementing product design, production, and service processes based on AI‑powered models.

Speeding Up Green and Low‑Carbon Transformation: Enterprises are encouraged to adopt green product design, use minimalist, eco‑friendly, recyclable packaging, prioritize non‑toxic, biodegradable, and easily recyclable materials, and develop bio‑based products, green textiles, and environmentally friendly furniture. The plan also promotes “smart + energy storage” lighting systems and “appliance + building” energy‑saving systems.

IV. Expanding Pathways for Integrated Industrial Development

Deepening Cultural Empowerment for Industrial Innovation: The Plan supports the development of arts and crafts, ceremonial and leisure products, writing implements, clothing and home textiles, lighting appliances, brewing, tea, and other items that combine practical utility with cultural creativity. It also encourages light industry and textile enterprises, while ensuring safe production, to develop regionally distinctive industrial tourism and create themed visitor‑friendly factories.

V. Coordinating and Optimizing Domestic and International Industrial Layouts

Strengthening Regional Coordination in Industrial Planning: The Plan calls for the eastern region to become an international hub for R&D, creative design, brand clustering, fashion consumption, and advanced manufacturing. Meanwhile, it supports the central and western regions in taking on modern light industry and textile manufacturing, orderly advancing major projects, developing leading and specialized industries tailored to local conditions, improving supporting infrastructure, fostering clusters of specialized industries, and stabilizing and boosting employment.

Promoting Rational and Orderly Cross‑Border Deployment: The Plan backs the international expansion of key sectors and the construction of high‑level international supply chain systems.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the China Lighting Appliance Association recommended a total of 16 scientific and technological achievements that passed appraisal organized by the Light Industry Federation, while 24 products were successively selected as upgraded or innovative consumer goods in the ninth, tenth, and eleventh batches announced by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Looking ahead to the 15th Five-Year Plan, this Plan provides a roadmap for achieving new‑type industrialization goals in the light industry and supporting China’s drive to become a manufacturing powerhouse. It also charts a clear path forward for lighting companies. On the technical front, the Plan identifies three core areas for breakthroughs—low‑glare and glare‑free optics, multi‑color high‑efficiency white LEDs, and scenario‑specific light recipes—and calls for building a public technical service platform for green lighting, addressing both high‑end technological bottlenecks in the industry and facilitating a shift from “selling hardware” to “offering lighting environment solutions.” On the supply‑demand side, the Plan opens up new avenues for agricultural light‑recipe illumination, guides upgrades in consumer categories such as eye‑care lighting, age‑friendly lighting, and smart lighting, while extensive standard revisions raise industry entry barriers. On the transformation pathway, the Plan promotes AI‑driven design and 3D‑printing technologies at the production end, champions “smart + energy storage” lighting systems, and drives the industry toward intelligent manufacturing and full‑life‑cycle low‑carbon upgrades, unlocking new value for lighting as an integrated energy node. On the level of industrial integration and spatial planning, cultural empowerment enhances product added value, fostering a collaborative model of “R&D and design in the east, manufacturing in the west,” while supporting enterprises’ global expansion and helping elevate their standing in global supply chains. The Plan serves as the core action agenda for the next five years, guiding the industry’s transition from scale‑driven expansion to quality‑and‑efficiency‑focused growth, and from single‑product manufacturing to integrated, diversified development.

（Source: Department of Consumer Goods Industry, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology）

Text source: Zheng Ce

Editorial layout: Du Fu

Editor-in-charge: Li Yao