Global demand for nonwovens is forecast to rise 5.4 percent annually to 9.1 million metric tons in 2017.  Nonwovens demand in the developed areas of the world, such as the US, Japan, and Western Europe, is projected to grow at a rate of 2.4 percent per year, an improvement from the declines of the 2007-2012 period but still well below the global average.  

 

Nonwovens demand in developing areas of the world is expected to increase 7.2 percent per year through 2017.  Spunmelt nonwovens accounted for 48 percent of global sales in 2012 and are projected to post the most rapid gains through 2017. Growth will benefit from increased production in key markets such as personal hygiene products.

 

These and other trends are presented in World Nonwovens, a new study from The Freedonia Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based industry market research firm.

 

Asia/Pacific was the largest regional market for nonwovens in 2012, with 41 percent of the global total.  Growth will be driven in large part by China, which will account for 46 percent of global gains through 2017.  

 

Manufacturing capacity for products that consume significant amounts of nonwovens continues to expand throughout the country.  Like China, India is expected to see strong gains as it continues to rapidly develop its manufacturing and construction sectors.  

 

In 2012, North America and Western Europe each accounted for roughly 20 percent of the global nonwovens market.  Demand growth in these regions is expected to rebound from the declines of the 2007-2012 period, which was marked by outright drops in manufacturing and construction activity. Gains will benefit from economic improvement and a rebound in the manufacturing and construction sectors.  

 

Central and South America, Eastern Europe, and the Africa/Mideast region each accounted for less than 10 percent of the global nonwovens market in 2012.  Central and South America will post the fastest growth of any region, due to favorable growth in the domestic, as well as export market.  

 

The nonwovens industries in key export-related countries -- Brazil, Russia, and Egypt -- continue to rapidly develop with growing investment from both domestic and foreign multinational companies.  However, Egypt’s market could be limited as political and social unrest has the potential to disrupt plant operations and distribution channels.