Sustainable development has become a critical issue for the survival and revival of China's textile and apparel industry, according to industry senior officials.

It is the right time for domestic textile enterprises to conduct a major transformation amid the sluggish global demand for the sector, but there won't be significant change in the long term, said Jiang Hui, Chairman of China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Textile and Apparel.

One of the serious challenges that China's textile industry will face ahead is a shortage of raw materials, senior officials said at a forum discussing the industry's sustainable development in August.