The Ufficio Italiano Seta, ISU Vice-chairman Unit, Organized a Delegation to Visit Chinese Silk Industry (Yunnan Chapter)

In order to investigate Chinese high-quality sericulture and silk production base, strengthen exchanges and cooperation between the silk industry of China and Italy, and promote the visit and interaction between International Silk Union(ISU) members, from September 18 to 22, 2023, the Ufficio Italiano Seta(UIS), ISU vice-chairman unit, organized a delegation of 8 representatives of Italian silk enterprises and institutions to inspect Chinese sericulture and silk industry, Zhang Guoqiang, chairman of ISU, Li Qizheng, secretary-general of ISU，accompanied the delegation in stages visits. Bian Xing’er, deputy secretary-general of ISU, and Pepper, secretary of ISU, accompanied the whole visits.

UIS delegation list:

1.Laura Sofia Clerici, president of UIS, general manager of TESEO SpA

2.Guido Tettamanti, secretary general of UIS 

3.Andrea Taborelli, general manager of TESSITURA SERICA A.M. TABORELLI SRL

4.Carola Prini, consultant of company TESSITURA SERICA A.M. TABORELLI SRL

5.Chiara Cappelletti, senior LCA research expert of INNOVHUB-SSI

6.Roberto Cozzi, former manager of Clerici Tessuto & C. SpA

7.Emilia Simoncini, Asia purchasing manager of RATTI SpA

8.Wang Weina, purchasing department manager of ONGETTA SRL

On September 18, Zhang Guoqiang, chairman of ISU and chairman and president of Zhejiang Cathaya Group, Luo Binghua, vice president of Cathaya Group and chairman and general manager of Yunnan Cathaya Silk Textile Industrial Park, Zhu Zhengxian, deputy general manager of Cathaya Holdings and chairman and general manager of Baoshan Cathaya Silk Co., Ltd., accompanied the delegation to visit the Yunnan Cathaya industry. At Yunnan Cathaya Silk Textile Industrial Park, the delegation inspected the phase I of modernization garment production line, the phase Ⅱ and phase Ⅲconstruction planning of silk weaving, and printing and dyeing. At Yunnan Silk Textile Industrial Park, the delegation inspected the silk reeling base and sericulture base, they had an in-depth understanding of the high-standard, large-scale and intensive construction of high-quality organic sericulture and organic raw silk base in Yunnan, the development of silkworm breeding technology, the industrial layout of silk spinning industry, etc.

Luo Binghua, vice president of Cathaya Group and chairman and general manager of Yunnan Cathaya Silk Textile Industrial Park, received the delegation.

Yunnan Cathaya Silk Textile Industrial Park is planned to be constructed in four phases (the fourth phase has not been planned yet), covering multiple production processing such as twisting, weaving, dyeing and printing, sand washing and garment processing. In March 2021, garment manufacture (knitting and weaving factory) of the first phase of the project was officially put into operation. The Industrial Park is about 100 thousand square meters, it has 20 hanging production line, 2 automatic storage sorting system, 20 auto-devices,1200 sewing machines. There are about 700 employees and 2022 output value 80million CNY, The main customers served are Uniqlo, Calzedonia, Intimissimi and so on.

Zhu Zhengxian, deputy general manager of Cathaya Holdings and chairman and general manager of Baoshan Cathaya Silk Co., Ltd., received the delegation.

Baoshan Cathaya Silk Co., Ltd. integrates silk production, cocoon purchase, and silk processing, implementing a business model of company + cooperative + base + farmers, it has established high-quality organic sericulture and organic raw silk bases. The company has over 200 employees, an annual production and processing capacity of 2,000 tons of fresh cocoons, 800 tons of dried cocoons, and almost 300 tons of high-grade raw silk. The sales revenue exceeded 100 million CNY.

During the inspection, Chairman Zhang Guoqiang held an exchange discussion with the UIS delegation. Chairman Zhang welcomed the visit of Italian silk colleagues and introduced in detail the preparatory plan for the upcoming ISU Members Assemblye in France, the new ISU structure adjustment vision and the future work direction. He hoped that the UIS could put forward valuable opinions for the development of the Union, and continue to strengthen in-depth exchanges, actively enhance mutual visits and cooperation between enterprises, promoting the union more international, innovative and sustainable, and meet the needs of the development of the international silk industry, so that to make more pragmatic and meaningful services and contributions to the international silk industry.

Laura Sofia Clerici, president of UIS, thanked the secretariat for its careful arrangement, and she agreed with Chairman Zhang's view. She said that the inspection gave a systematic understanding of the breakthrough development and large-scale construction of Chinese front-end sericulture silk industry, which laid the raw material foundation for the Italian silk industry chain. She hoped that the two sides would continue to strengthen cooperation in the fields of silk LCA research and industry exchanges, serve silk enterprises, and work together to safeguard the fundamental interests of the international silk industry.

Guido Tettamanti, secretary general of UIS, expressed that through the joint efforts of Chinese and Italian experts, the silk LCA research had made phased progress, and he hoped that under the continuous promotion of the ISU, technical exchanges would continue to be strengthened, more silk enterprises would be encouraged to participate in it, and the international recognition of research results would be actively promoted.