The 2026 National Congress on the Industrial Chain of Plastic Wicker Products was held, focusing on the new trends of "automation, high strength and customization" 

On April 16, the 2026 All-China Congress on Technical Exchange and Market Cooperation in Plastic Wicker Products Industry was held in Liyang, Jiangsu Province. The industry consensus is to move from a price war to a value fight and address labor shortages and cost pressures through technological innovation.

Key themes and trends

1. Accelerating the transition to automation. The industry faces a labor shortage of almost 150 thousand people, and the average capacity utilization rate is only 73%. Enterprises are accelerating the upgrading of high-speed drawing processing, intelligent circular weaving and automatic cutting and sewing equipment to reduce dependence on manual labor and improve efficiency and quality consistency.

2. High strength + functionality becomes standard. Due to the increase in demand in downstream sectors (fertilizers, grains, building materials), the demand for woven bags with high levels of strength, moisture resistance, aging resistance, antistatic properties and UV protection has sharply increased; square bottom flap bags, color printed laminated bags, and food grade bags were the fastest growing categories.

3. Customization and the ability to deliver quickly become key competitive advantages. As customers move from “standardized mass production” to “small batches with varied specifications, rapid prototyping and short delivery times,” manufacturing plants with flexible production across the entire chain gain a significant advantage.

Industry prospects

In 2026, the woven polyethylene products industry will be characterized by four main trends: environmental friendliness, automation, focus on high-quality products and concentration of production:

“Green”: the use of recycled materials, recyclability and carbon footprint certification become mandatory conditions for export;

"Automation": modernization of equipment that replaces manual labor can alleviate the problem of labor shortages, reduce costs and increase efficiency;

“High segment”: the share of functional and customized products is growing, which leads to an increase in added value;

“Concentration”: the displacement of small and medium-sized enterprises from the market is accelerating, and the share of leading companies is increasing.