Global Nonwoven Materials and Products Market – An Overview
Considered a substitute to polyurethane, nonwoven materials would witness an increase in demand over the coming few years. It is pertinent to note here that these are extensively used in the production of disposable items since they can be put together using multiple bonds. From 2013 and 2019, the global nonwoven materials and products market would grow at a sturdy pace and as per Transparency Market Research, a notable demand from the medical sector would be a significant reason for the same. It also notes that new opportunities would be noted in the market landscape over the forecast period. Additionally, it is worth noting here that use in geotextiles industry would also be a significant factor of growth in the market over the assessment period.
A glimpse into the market’s trends and drivers, and other notable developments is provided below:
- A massive demand in the nonwoven materials and products market is set to arise from the construction sector which is anticipated to generate demand for durable products over the next few years. Some of these reasons are notable increase in construction volume to be expected over the next few years and technological advancement in the field. This will lead to a notable growth in the global nonwoven materials and products market.
- It is also quite pertinent to make note of the fact here that global world population is increasing and demographics is shifting. Number of people aged 60 and above by the year 2050 will be 2 billion and by the same year 2 billion new people will have joined in global population, taking it up to a number of 9.7 billion. While more people mean more construction volume, higher geriatric population will create need for medical supplies that use nonwoven materials and products.
Global Nonwoven Materials and Products Market: Overview
Nonwoven materials and products are the fabrics made of parallel laid,cross laid or randomly laid webs bonded with application of adhesives or thermoplastics fibers under the application of pressure and heat. Nonwoven fabrics possess properties such as liquid repellence, absorbency, resilience, softness, stretch, strength, flame retardancy, thermal insulation, cushioning, filtration and acoustic insulation among others. Owing to all these properties, nonwoven materials and products are widely used in several industries across the globe. The major product segments of nonwoven materials and products consist ofpolypropylene, polyester and nylon. Nonwoven materials and products are utilized in variety of applications in industries such as medical, healthcare, textiles, construction, agriculture, automobile, paper and packaging among others.The revenue generated by the global nonwoven materials and products market was USD 28,783.8 million in 2012which is expected to reach USD 45,363.7 million by 2019, growing at a CAGR of 6.7% from 2013 to 2019.
Polypropylenenonwoven fabric accounted for the largest share of the global nonwoven materials and products market in 2012, followed by polyester and nylon nonwoven fabrics. The polypropylenesegment of nonwoven materials and products market generated revenue of USD 16,438.7 million in 2012 and is anticipated to reach USD 25,808.2 million in 2019, growing at a CAGR of 6.7% from 2013 to 2019.Though polypropylene market is the largest product segment of nonwoven materials and products, the other segment that includes cellulosics, bio-component fibers and nano-fibers, is the most attractive market.
Durable applications segment was the largest market segment of nonwoven materials and products in 2012. The durable applications segment of the nonwoven materials and products market generated revenue of USD 17,716.0 million in 2012 and is anticipated to reach USD 28,335.6 million in 2019, growing at a CAGR of 7.0% from 2013 to 2019.
Disposable applications segment is the other major application segment of nonwoven materials and products market. Durable applications segment dominated the global nonwoven materials and products market consumption in 2012 and the consistent growth in automobile, construction and agriculture industry across the globe is driving the nonwoven materials and products market. Moreover, the robust demand from medical disposables market is the key factor that is acting as a growth driver for the nonwoven materials and products market.
The global nonwoven materials and products market is segmented based on geography. Asia Pacific represents the largest and the most crucial market for the nonwoven materials and products industry.In the recent past, nonwoven materials and products market in Asia Pacific was driven by strong demand from the medical, construction and agriculture market in emerging economies such as China and India. Europe was the second largest market for nonwoven materials and products followed by North America and RoW. Due to the saturation in the European and North American market, Asia Pacific is expected to be the most attractive regional segment for nonwoven materials and products market in the future.
The continuously increasing medical and healthcare industry across the globe is propelling the demand for nonwoven materials and products market. Polypropylene nonwoven fabric wasthe largest consumed nonwoven material across the worldin 2012 which is used in applications such as automobile, construction, air and liquid filtration, industrial, medical, hygiene, textiles and protective clothing among others. The growing demand for nonwoven fabrics from medical disposables and durable applications segment is expected to drive the demand for nonwoven materials and products in the future. However, the issues regarding volatility of raw material prices and saturation in developed markets may curtail the market growth in future. Freudenberg SE, Ahlstrom Incorporation, Du Pont, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Polymer Group Incorporation, and Asahi Kasei Corporation are some of the major manufacturers of nonwoven materials and products.