Antimicrobial Additives Market Analysis By Type (Organic, Inorganic), By Application (Plastics, Paints & Coatings, Pulp & Paper), By End-Use (Healthcare, Packaging, Food & Beverages, Construction, Automotive), By Region, And Segment Forecast, 2014-2025

Industry Insights

The global antimicrobial additives market size was valued at USD 7.86 billion in 2015 and is expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period. Rising demand for the product from various end-use sectors including healthcare, packaging, food & beverages, construction, automotive, electronics, and furniture is expected to drive growth.

Antimicrobial additives are chemical ingredients that prevent bacterial, fungal, and algal growth in materials exposed to high levels of ultraviolet radiations, moisture, and unsanitary conditions. These additives are primarily used in applications such as plastics, papers, paints & coatings, textiles, inks, rubber, and fabric care to inhibit the growth of unwanted microorganisms and increase the longevity of the substrate.

U.S. antimicrobial additives market volume, by application, 2014 - 2025 (Tons)

The growing consumer awareness regarding health related issues coupled with the improving standard of living in emerging countries such as China, India, Brazil, and South Korea are expected to drive industry growth over the forecast period. Moreover, growing population is projected to increase the occurrences of infectious diseases, which will augment the demand for preventive products including antimicrobials.

Factors such as poor sanitation, air pollution, climatic changes and presence of life-threatening diseases such as Ebola, swine flu, hepatitis, Zika, rabies, HIV, and tuberculosis are expected to drive the usage of these additives in healthcare products such as disposable gloves, masks, hand sanitizers, and hand washes. Rising healthcare spending in the U.S. will fuel the industry expansion over the forecast period.

Type Insights

Organic antimicrobials were the most extensively used additives accounting for 51% of the global volume share in 2015. However, the ban on sales and usage of oxybisphenoxarsine (OBPA) and Triclosan owing to their high levels of toxicity is expected to result in sluggish growth over the forecast period.

Inorganic additives are expected to witness significant growth due to high demand for silver-based additives. Silver has been used as an antimicrobial agent owing to its ability to inhibit microbial growth. The rising demand for silver-based products on account of their properties such as non-toxicity, continual performance for a long duration, environmental friendliness, and high thermal stability will drive the industry growth over the forecast period.

Application Insights

Demand for these additives was highest in plastics at 18.3 kilo tons in 2015 and is expected to witness growth due to its increasing penetration in packaging, and consumer goods products. Rising demand for plastics as a substitute for traditional materials such as glass and metals in medical instruments including medical ventilators, anesthetic machines, heart-lung machines, and electrocardiograph will drive the usage of the product.

Antimicrobial additives are used in paints & coatings as they aid in restricting microbial growth on walls and metal surfaces, which may physically as well as aesthetically damaging the surface. The growing demand for these paints & coatings in automotive and construction sectors will propel industry growth over the upcoming years.

End-Use Insights

Healthcare will witness considerable revenue growth at a CAGR of 7.5% from 2016 to 2025 owing to increasing requirement for medical equipment and hygiene products in Asia Pacific. The growing demand for additives which are used for coating medical devices such as infusion pumps, CT scanners, X-ray machines, medical imaging machines, and dialysis machines will augment industry development.

Global antimicrobial additives market revenue, by end-use, 2015 (%)

Antimicrobial additives are extensively used in plastics, which finds its application in electronic devices. Electronic devices are subjected to dirt and moisture, owing to regular exposure to the surroundings. Technological development coupled with rising consumer need will support in the development of electronics industry, which in turn, will drive the demand for these additives over the next nine years.

Regional Insights

Asia Pacific accounted for 34% of the overall revenue in 2015 and is expected to show high gains on account of growing usage of these additives in the healthcare, packaging, construction and automotive industry. The presence of major paints & coatings manufacturers such as AkzoNobel, BASF, Sherwin-Williams, Kansai Paint, and Nippon Paint in the region will further aid in the market growth.

The U.S. antimicrobial additives market is expected to witness significant gains both in terms of volume and revenue on account of growing usage of these products in packaging as it increases the shelf life of packaging material. The market is expected to increase at a CAGR of 7% from 2016 to 2025, in terms of revenue.

Competitive InsightsThe market is competitive in nature with a large number of industry players present in the North America and Europe. Key players include AkzoNobel N.V., BASF SE, Dow Chemical Company, BioCote Limited, Sanitized AG, SteriTouch Limited, Life Material Technologies Limited, Nanobiomatters Industries S.L., Momentive Performance Material Inc., Clariant, Microban International, A. Schulman Inc., Milliken Chemical, RTP Company, and Plastics Color Corporation.

In November 2016, Microban announced the relaunch of its European textile division. The relaunch is expected to help the company work in close collaboration with existing and new brand partners across the globe. Moreover, it would also aid in expanding its product portfolio across the U.S. and Europe.

Report Scope

Segments covered in the report

This report forecasts volume and revenue growth at global, regional & country levels and provides an analysis on the latest trends in each of the sub-segments from 2014 to 2025. For the purpose of this study, Grand View Research has segmented the antimicrobial additives market on the basis of type, application, end-use, and region:

• Type Outlook (Volume, Tons; Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

  • Organic

  • Inorganic

• Application Outlook (Volume, Tons; Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

  • Plastics

  • Paints & coatings

  • Pulp & paper

  • Others

• End-Use Outlook (Volume, Tons; Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

  • Healthcare

  • Packaging

  • Food & beverages

  • Construction

  • Automotive

  • Others

• Regional Outlook (Volume, Tons; Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

  • North America

    • U.S.

  • Europe

    • Germany

    • UK

  • Asia Pacific

    • China

    • India

  • Latin America

    • Brazil

  • MEA