Global fibre production is estimated to grow at a modest 3.6% through the period 2015-2025, according to a senior official at Tecnon OrbiChem.

Darrel Collier, business manager of Synthetic Fibres and PET Resin at Tecnon OrbiChem, speaking at the EATP (European Association for Textile Polyolefins) Executive Seminar in Brussels, Belgium, said that following the global financial crisis of 2008 the production market has been growing steadily at 3.1% per year through 2005-2010.

He added that, historically, since the early 1980s the natural fibres market has been losing ground to man-made fibres (MMF) and will continue to do so in the future as new applications, products and raw material sources and alternatives are sought by global corporations. Additionally, China and South East Asia are expected to spearhead this change.

Mr Collier said: “Looking back at synthetic fibre production - acrylic, polyamide, polyester and polypropylene – it is hard to believe that just over 10 million metric tonnes (MMT) was being produced globally in the early 1980s, especially as polyester fibre production has grown to nearly 40MMT on its own in 2012, and is forecast to reach over 80MMT by 2025. This is compared to quite stagnant cotton production which has grown, only, to around 24MMT from 18MMT 30 years ago.”

As confidence returns to the international markets in the coming years, Tecno OrbiChem has also forecast that polyester production growth will continue - if not at a slightly slower rate than has been seen in the past - but is expected to rise in the region of 2% per year in the next five years.

In the next ten years, Mr Collier stated that cellulosic fibres - principally viscose staple - are expected to increase by 4.9%. Polyamide growth will also be up by 1.5%, but acrylic is expected to decline by 1% per year.

While speaking to a number of MMF delegates and Textile Polyolefin experts in Brussels, he added that polypropylene production has been falling in the last five years (-1%), but is expected to reverse and grow by 1-2% in the next ten years. However, he noted that China would play a significant part in shaping the production landscape in the years to come, compared to Europe where production has been declining.