2025 China International Soda Ash Conference: The soda ash industry needs innovation and collaboration to drive growth

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Recently, the 2025 China International Soda Ash Conference, hosted by the China Soda Ash Industry Association, was held in Chengdu. The experts present agreed that the global soda ash industry is currently in a critical phase of green transformation, technological advancement, and structural reshaping. Chinese soda ash manufacturers should pay close attention to policy trends and develop strategies in advance. By optimizing production levels, adjusting product portfolios, and exploring new markets, they can create new sources of growth, foster a healthy market ecosystem and open cooperation models, thereby promoting the sustainable development of the soda ash industry. 　　In recent years, the production capacity on the supply side of soda ash in our country has continued to expand, but demand growth has slowed down, and new areas for consumption growth need to be further explored. He suggested that soda ash manufacturers should reduce production costs and enhance their competitiveness by optimizing processes and other methods. At the same time, maintaining consistent soda ash exports will also help stabilize the domestic soda ash market. 　　At the meeting, several representatives stated that a healthy market ecosystem and an open cooperation model are essential guarantees for the sustainable development of the soda ash industry. 　　Soda ash futures have been listed and traded on the Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange for nearly 6 years now; they exhibit good liquidity, with contracts remaining active and continuous deliveries taking place. Soda ash manufacturers should make full use of the tools available in the futures market, and through compliant practices such as hedging, mitigate the operational risks associated with fluctuations in spot market prices and other factors. 　　What the soda ash industry lacks now is not production capacity but efficiency; digital transformation of enterprises and optimization of the industrial structure are the key paths to enhancing the industry’s overall competitiveness. Soda ash manufacturers should establish long-term and stable cooperative relationships with leading enterprises in downstream industries such as flat glass (including photovoltaic glass), household glass, and detergents, in order to achieve coordinated development of supply and demand. 　　The discovery and large-scale exploitation of natural soda ash resources in Alxa, Inner Mongolia, have changed the landscape of the soda ash industry as well as its industrial structure. The group has constructed production facilities with an annual capacity of 7.8 million tons of soda ash and 800,000 tons of baking soda, in phases. 　　At present, the synthetic soda process still accounts for over 70% of China’s total soda ash production capacity. With the continuous discovery of natural soda ash resources and the commissioning of new production facilities, will the domestic synthetic soda process, just as happened in the United States in the past, be driven out of the market due to the cost advantage of natural soda ash? Dong Wenlin, deputy general manager of Henan Jinshan Chemical Group, said that as a leading enterprise in the field of synthetic soda production in China, the group has developed a new large-scale, intelligent six-unit soda ash production process that reduces energy consumption and costs associated with synthetic soda production, thereby maintaining its competitive advantages. As a result, synthetic soda ash and natural soda ash can coexist in the market for a long time. 　　At the meeting, the China Soda Ash Industry Association will fully play its role in guiding the industry, regulate the competitive behavior of enterprises, put an end to unregulated price-based competition, and promote the sustainable, higher-quality, and more efficient development of the soda ash industry. Dou Jinliang, secretary-general of the association, noted that the advancement of technical processes in new and sustainable directions is key to promoting the sustainable development of the industry, and enterprises should increase investment in technological innovation to continuously enhance their competitiveness.