Non-woven Fabric Market

Key Market Trends

Increasing Demand from the Healthcare Industry

• Non-woven fabric is used to make various products in the healthcare industry, such as surgical gowns, aprons, drapes, face mask components, and wound dressings, among others. They are also used in hygiene products, such as sanitary towels, sanitary napkins, tampons, baby diapers, and napkin liners.

• Some of the other properties of nonwoven fabric that have led to an increase in its application in the healthcare industry include:

  • Its ability to mitigate the risk of spreading drug-resistant bacteria, viral, and blood-borne diseases.

  • Its ability to be tailored, according to medical specifications and requirements.

  • Its environmentally-friendly nature, being disposable without causing harm to the environment.

• The demand for new and better-performing products is propelling the non-woven industry. There is a significant demand for non-woven fabric from the healthcare industry. Increasing surgeries and the construction of new medical facilities are the primary driving forces for this market.

• Asia-Pacific is expected to witness a significant increase, over the forecast period, for hygiene products, due to the increasing adoption of female hygiene products in countries, like India, China, etc.

  • In India, according to the BCH (Indian Nonwovens Industry Association), the market penetration rate of sanitary napkin increased significantly since 2014.

• Other factors, like population growth, increasing aged population, and better awareness about hygiene among women in developing countries, are the other factors driving the demand for non-woven fabrics in healthcare.

Asia-Pacific Region is the Largest Consumer

• Asia-Pacific is expected to be the largest consumer, globally, owing to the commissioning of additional capacities, as well as an increase in the production of non-woven fabric in the region.

• In terms of consumption and production of non-woven fabric, China held the largest share, globally.

• The textile industry in China is booming, with increasing investments and government support from the 13th Five Year Plan. Textile and apparel makers in the country are going through painful industrial restructuring. While the country, with enormous production capacity, is still the world's largest clothing exporter, oversupply at home, high labor costs, and rising global protectionism have all eroded its competitiveness.

• The Chinese government is planning Xinjiang as the hotbed for the textile and apparel manufacturing and has invested USD 8 billion. China's northwest region is expected to become the country's largest textile production base by 2030.

• The year 2016 was the first year of China’s 13th Five Year Plan. It was an important year for the country’s engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) industry, as it ventured into new business models, domestically and internationally.

• As the construction industry is dominated by state-owned and private enterprises, increased government and private spending, in this regard, is pushing the industry to the peak position in the world. The housing authorities of Hong Kong have launched several measures to push-start the construction of low-cost housing in the country.

• All the aforementioned factors, in turn, projected to increase market at high rates, owing to the rapid growth of end-user industries.

Competitive Landscape