Nonwoven Fabrics Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product, By Technology, By Application, By Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, Central & South America), And Segment Forecasts, 2015 - 2020

Industry Insights

The global nonwoven fabrics market size was estimated at USD 28.41 billion in 2014 and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 6.8% from 2015 to 2025. Increasing demand for personal hygiene products coupled with a growing population is expected to be a key driving factor for the growth of nonwoven fabrics over the forecast period.

Increasing birth rate and aging population has contributed to the growing demand for hygiene products such as baby diapers, sanitary napkins, and adult incontinence products, which in turn projected to fuel the demand for nonwoven fabrics. Moreover, superior stretchability and flame resistance offered by the product is expected to positively impact market growth.

Nonwoven fabric used in road construction in the form of geotextiles to increase the durability of roads. Low maintenance costs associated with nonwovens is expected to fuel its demand in construction applications. Positive outlook on global automobile and transportation industry is further expected to propel growth for non-woven fabrics market over the next six years.

Automobile industry manufactures a large number of exterior and interior parts using nonwoven fabrics owing to its durability, moldability and being lightweight. In addition, a positive outlook on automotive industry is expected to have a positive impact on the growth of nonwoven fabric over the forecast period.

The shift in trend towards the adoption of safety measures while following practices in the medical industry is also expected to have a positive influence on global non-woven fabrics market growth. Volatile raw material prices coupled with stringent regulation norms imposed on manufacturers on account of growing environmental concerns is anticipated to remain a key challenge for the nonwoven fabric market.

To overcome aforementioned challenges, market participants have shifted their focus on towards development of bio-based nonwoven fabrics to reduce dependence on petrochemicals as raw materials along with minimizing the environmental impact associated with conventional non-wovens. This, in turn, is expected to further propel the market growth over the forecast period.

Advance fibers such as polylactic acid (PLA) derived from vegetable starch or corn and viscose derived from wood take environmental regulations into consideration and enable innovative products for customers. Successful entry of these products into the global market is expected to provide future opportunities to market participants.

Spunlaid technology is projected to witness notable growth on account of characteristics offered such as random fibrous structure, low drapeability, and high liquid retention. Moreover, rising consumption of spunlaid nonwoven in applications such as industrial insulation and metal core packaging owing to high tear strength offered by the product is further expected to boost the market growth.

Product Insights

Polypropylene nonwoven fabrics emerged as the largest product segment and accounted for over 65% of the market volume in 2014. Industry participants extensively use polypropylene nonwoven fabrics owing to its availability in a variety of grades and properties which can be modified by auxiliary chemicals and treatments.

Polypropylene is expected to dominate the global nonwoven fabrics market over the next six years. Polyester followed polypropylene to emerge as the second largest product segment in the global market. Polyester is anticipated to witness a steady growth rate over the next forecast period owing to growing penetration in applications such as automotive, agriculture, and surgical and medical equipment.

Carded Polyester fabric is also expected to witness notable growth as it offers superior stability and high internal bond strength owing to uniformly aligned fibers. The aforementioned properties of the product are leading its demand in production of infant diapers, adult incontinence, feminine hygiene pads, and toddler training pants.

Application Insights

Global nonwoven fabrics market was dominated by durable applications which accounted for over 55% of total market volume in 2014. Increasing construction spending in emerging markets such as Brazil, China, and India have led to the demand for geotextiles in roads and buildings which in turn is expected to drive the demand for nonwovens in durable applications.

Nonwovens are used in automotive industry to manufacture automobile interiors, cabin filters, floor mats and seat trims. Growing automotive industry in emerging markets of Asia Pacific and Latin America are expected to augment further nonwoven fabrics market growth. Increasing birth rate coupled with aging population across various countries such as the U.S., Japan, UK, Monaco, and Germany is expected to drive the demand for nonwovens in disposable applications over the forecast period. Nonwoven market is expected to witness significant growth owing to increasing medical applications such as surgical gowns, protective clothing, drapes, masks and patient apparel.

Continual replacement of reusable medical fabrics by disposable medical fabrics is expected to drive the demand for nonwoven fabrics in manufacturing of disposables. In addition, growing emphasis on cost control in healthcare industry is further expected to influence the demand for disposable nonwoven fabric over the forecast period.

Growing need for healthcare assistance and incontinence products coupled with rising availability of modern healthcare to emerging market is expected to propel the demand for nonwoven fabrics. In addition, the rising potential of pandemic outbreaks such as Avian Influenza, SARS, and Swin flu is projected to positively impact the demand for disposable products.

Regional Insights

Asia Pacific dominated the global nonwoven fabrics market and accounted for over 42% of global volume in 2013. The increasing birthrate in China and India coupled with growing income levels is expected to drive the demand for nonwoven fabrics in hygiene applications. Aging population in Japan is also expected to drive the demand for nonwovens in disposable applications such as adult incontinence products.

Rising production of baby diaper influenced by increasing birth rate in Asia Pacific is expected to be one of the key factors driving the demand for nonwoven fabric in the region. Moreover, growing construction spending in emerging economies such as India, and China is further expected to boost the demand for durable non-woven fabric in construction applications.

Rapid industrialization and growing population in China and India have resulted in demand for better infrastructure which in turn has increased the construction spending. This is expected to drive the market growth in durable applications such as geotextiles and construction materials.

North America is also expected to witness significant market growth of nonwoven fabric on account of rising production output coupled with expected rebound in construction activities over the forecast period. However, maturity of several disposable goods market such as diaper is expected to restrict the growth of the market to a certain extent.

The Middle East is a relatively small market for nonwoven fabrics but is expected to register significant growth over the six years owing to increasing nonwoven application in construction and hygiene. North America and Eastern Europe are relatively mature markets and are expected to show moderate growth rates over the forecast period.

Competitive Market Share Insights

The global nonwoven market is highly fragmented with top five industry participants accounting for less than 20% of total nonwoven fabrics market. Leading companies are involved in the acquisition of smaller firms to gain market share. Key players operating in the global nonwoven fabrics market include Freudenberg, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Ahlstrom Incorporation, DuPont, Chevron Corporation, Polymer Group Incorporation, Asahi Kasei Corporation, Fiberweb. Other major players in the market include AVGOL, First Quality, Providencia, PEGAS, Fibertex, Mitsui, Fitesa, and Toray. 

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