Disposables account for 71% of all nonwovens sales

Disposable goods accounted for 71 per cent of nonwovens sales in 2016. Disposables markets include consumer, filtration, and medical. Demand for nonwovens used in disposable goods is expected to increase 3.2 per cent per year to $5.6 billion in 2021. These and other trends are presented in Nonwovens Market in the US, 7th Edition, a new study from The Freedonia Group, a Cleveland-based industry research firm.

Gains will be driven by:

• nonwovens’ potential for a wide range of formulations and performance characteristics suitable to disposables
• continued penetration into many disposables, including filters and adult diapers
• ongoing development of more advanced and value-added nonwovens to enhance the performance of disposables

Consumer markets, including wipes and personal hygiene products, accounted for more than one-third of nonwovens sales in disposables markets in 2016. However, filtration markets will post faster gains, in part because these markets are less mature for nonwovens and continue to see increasing incorporation of nonwovens into air and fluid filter designs.

Spunbonded nonwovens accounted for 45 per cent of nonwovens sales in disposables markets in 2016. In general, spunbonded products are favored as versatile and compatible with some of the most widely used fibers and filaments. In many major disposables, such as medical products and consumer personal hygiene, spunbonded is preferred for its softness and absorbency.