China Blue News: Drought and high temperatures in Europe have spurred demand for energy-saving and water-saving products. Zhejiang enterprises have taken the lead

Chinese Blue News Editor Min Lingyan
　　  
Due to the continuous impact of extreme weather conditions, the water levels of several major rivers in Europe, such as the Rhine and Danube, have dropped. The combination of drought and high temperatures has hindered shipping, reduced hydropower capacity, and put pressure on agricultural production. As a result, the demand for water-saving and energy-saving products in the local market has rapidly increased.
Thousands of miles away in Zhejiang, batches of cooling and water-saving products are being packed overnight and rushing to Europe. Wall mounted air conditioning fans, micro spray drip irrigation sets, water-saving showerheads, ice making water purifiers... Various cool and water-saving products have seen a surge in exports, with orders scheduled until 2027.
Yiwu foreign trade seizes opportunities in overseas markets
The orders for cooling and water-saving products continue to grow
Keen Chinese merchants have noticed that the purchasing list of European customers has changed - not only to be cool, but also to save water.
In Yiwu International Trade City, the wall mounted air conditioning fan has become a popular item in the store of operator Zhang Changjun. A loyal British customer had just placed a sample order and immediately placed an additional order for 1500 units. They couldn't even wait for sea freight and instead air freighted 200 units as an emergency measure.
At this time in previous years, the shipment of cooling products was almost over. "Chen Jianping, the operator of Yiwu International Trade City, kept receiving new customers inquiring about the style and price of small fans on her phone. While replying to inquiries, she sighed," This year, Europe continues to experience high temperatures, and the sales cycle has significantly lengthened, with sales increasing by 20%. Even peers in the department store and jewelry industry have come to pick up goods and sell them
After prolonged high temperatures, drought and water scarcity have become new challenges for many European countries. Water conservation and energy consumption reduction have become the core demands of the local market, which has also led to a window period for the export of water-saving hardware products. Liu Junming, a business owner specializing in kitchen and bathroom hardware, has a deep understanding. Previously, European customers used 30mm valve cores, but now they have specifically changed them to 25mm, resulting in lower flow rates and immediate water-saving effects. Originally exporting one or two thousand units per month, it increased to nearly 10000 units last month.
The reporter's visit found that in Yiwu, in addition to the continuous hot sales of popular water-saving hardware products, the export heat of energy-saving products with solar power supply and new environmentally friendly fuels as the core has also continued to rise. Low energy consumption products that break away from traditional dependence on hydropower and gas, accurately match the market situation of energy shortage and water resources shortage in Europe, and become a new growth pole for Yiwu's exports to Europe. Yiwu foreign trade merchants not only seize the short-term foreign trade dividends, but also rely on high-quality and low-energy characteristic products to continuously consolidate the core competitiveness of Yiwu manufacturing.
Cixi's' miracle tool 'saves 70% water
Export orders scheduled until 2027
Not only in Yiwu, but also in Cixi, Ningbo, cool and water-saving products are selling well.
The continuous high temperature and drought have made "how to maintain a garden with minimal water" a must-have for European consumers.
Cixi, Zhejiang is one of the main production areas for horticultural irrigation products in China. At a company specializing in irrigation products, the workshop is bustling with workers rushing to produce a batch of household micro spray drip irrigation three in one sets that will soon be sent to Europe.
Ordinary irrigation requires 7 to 10 liters of water at a time, while our set only requires 1 to 2 liters, with a water-saving efficiency of about 70%, "said Wang Xiaoyu, the deputy general manager of the company. More than half of the company's products are sold to Europe, and orders from countries such as England, France, Germany, and the West have been received in January 2027, with further orders under negotiation.
At a local showerhead production company, workers are loading boxes of shower sets onto trucks and shipping them to Italy. The person in charge of the enterprise told reporters that there have been a lot of orders for water-saving showerheads in the European market recently, with some single product orders reaching 50000 and delivery times scheduled for two months later.
'Cooling appliances' are also a major highlight of exports to Europe this summer. A water purifier manufacturer in Cixi has packaged ice making, sand ice, and bubble water functions into one machine, accurately targeting the preferences of Europeans. According to the person in charge, they still have 200000 units of orders waiting to be delivered, with a schedule starting from two months.
According to the latest data from Ningbo Customs, Cixi's exports to Europe reached 20.37 billion yuan in the first seven months of this year. The export of cooling appliances was 930 million yuan, including 130 million yuan for ice makers, a year-on-year increase of 45.2%, and 32.459 million yuan for water purifiers, a year-on-year increase of 79.9%.
From Yiwu small commodities to Cixi intelligent manufacturing, from cooling fans to water-saving drip irrigation, Chinese enterprises have given many European countries a "cool" solution with keen insight and rapid response.