The Annual Conference on Social Responsibility of Chinese Textile and Apparel Industry (CTAI) and the 10th Anniversary Event for Social Responsibility Practice of China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC) was held recently in Beijing. Aptly themed ‘Pioneering in a decade and innovating for the future" the conference aimed to review the CTAI’s social responsibility practice in the past decade (2005-2015). It also focused on stimulating green manufacturing, sustainable development of a global textile supply chain, improve communications between interested parties and an overview of the development roadmap of CTAI over the next decade.

During the 13th Five Year Plan (2016-2020), the CATI is confronted with a variety of expansion plans, innovation levels and building a reliable system. CATI is working towards upgrading investment and trade structure, brace up market share in developed countries and explore markets in burgeoning economies as recovery rate is slow, while the consumption demands of emerging economies need other outlets.

CATI’s initiative to improve its international competitive advantage has been facilitated by the "Belt and Road" initiative, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei synergetic development, and the Yangtze River Economic Zone. This would assist CATI’s internationalisation of industrial distribution through a global chain. Nevertheless, the urgency for CATI to restore social risk consciousness and responsibility consciousness cannot be overlooked.

As a national organisation, CNTAC indicated the desire to consider social responsibility requirements of China's major trade partners and their investment in Chinese companies located in other countries. The organisation has a fundamental notion to have a platform of successful companies, yet taking social responsibility into account that triggers sustainable development of Chinese companies operating overseas.