Nonwoven will continue to see healthy growth in global markets for the next several years, with medical and filtration applications continuing to be focus of use. The market for nonwovens for filtration end-markets is forecast to grow from $3.5 billion in 2014 to $4.6 billion in 2019 at a compound annual growth rate of 5.6 per cent, says a new study by Smithers Apex. At the same time, the worldwide market for medical nonwovens is forecast to reach $2 billion in four years.
The slow and uneven recovery of global economies after the recession has had a significant impact upon the growth of nonwovens for filtration. With some of the key markets in automotive and construction still growing slowly in some regions, filtration nonwovens have had to aggressively replace older filter media materials, like paper and textiles, as well as enhance performance in order to maintain growth at 5.6 percent per year.
The study, ‘The Future of Nonwovens for Filtration to 2019’, shows that the market for filtration nonwovens is growing because of both the overall growth in filtration market and the replacement of textile and paper filter media. Despite problems in the global economic recovery, the filtration market as a whole has still seen positive growth due to some of the key end-uses for filter media being driven by the increasing demand for cleaner water and air, for protection against pandemic diseases, and for energy conservation.
Global consumption of all medical nonwovens was $1.5 billion in 2013 and is forecast to grow to $2 billion by 2018 at CAGR of 5.1 per cent, according to another study by Smithers Apex, ‘The Future of Medical Nonwovens to 2018’, which covers the time frame 2008 to 2018. Surgical drapes and gowns make up the largest medical nonwovens end-use globally, as well as in most regions, with global consumption valued at $889.2 million in 2013 and a forecasted value of over $1 billion in 2018. The segment is growing at an annual rate of 3.9 percent from 2013 to 2018. Incontinence products are globally the second-largest end-use segment as well as the fastest growing medical nonwovens market, with an annual growth rate of 8.2 per cent from 2013 to 2018.
The study identifies six key trends which are driving the market for medical nonwovens. These include continuing replacement of reusable (textile-based) medical fabrics by disposable (nonwovens-based) medical fabrics; increasing responsibility of hospitals and institutions for hospital-acquired infections (HAIs); increasing emphasis on cost control for healthcare; increasing potential for pandemic outbreaks; increasing age of global populations, which raise the need for assisted care and incontinence products; and increasing availability of modern healthcare to emerging market regions. www.smithersapex.com