From durable to disposable: are we ready for a phase change?

The global nonwovens industry has grown steadily at a rate of around 7.5% per year in tonnage over the past decade. Although the growth of the nonwoven industries in North America, Europe and Japan has slowed with maturity, these countries are still growing at 5% per year. A significant part of the global expansion of nonwovens is due to the growing demand for these materials as emerging economies such as Asia expand. India and China are the key players contributing to this growth.

India has a great opportunity to capitalize on a much larger portion of this growth. The Indian government emphasized promoting all steps of the textile industry, especially paying attention to the myriad use of non-woven fabrics in low-profile applications. The Indian industry is beginning to expose itself to international trends by inviting foreign players to partner with entrepreneurs in India. Since nonwovens and technical textiles have been considered the most promising and dynamic segment of the textile industry, the demand and consumption of nonwovens and technical textiles will grow enormously in the near future.

The questions that come to people’s minds are: “Is India the next boom market for nonwovens? Will India reach new horizons in nonwovens and technical textiles?”

Strength:

With a large textile manufacturing base and technical workforce, India has the potential to become the leading exporter of various technical textile and nonwoven products. The promotion of nonwovens in India holds promise in healthcare as traditional textiles are replaced with single-use disposables, improving agriculture for better crop protection and in geotextiles to meet growing needs infrastructure and the possibility of flood control. The main strength of the Indian nonwovens industry is listed below:

* India is one of the largest producers of natural and man-made fibers.

* Population growth and increase in disposable income of the middle class

* Skilled labor at low cost

* Ability to serve the value chain

* Growing national retail market

Weakness:

Some of the major weaknesses of the Indian nonwovens industry are:

* The textile industry is fragmented into a less organized and a more disorganized sector.

* Low productivity and cost competitiveness

* Obsolescence in technology

* Lack of product knowledge and experience.

In an interview with Mr. G Ravishankar, an expert nonwoven fabric consultant from India, he tried to portray the current scenario of nonwoven fabric industry in India with some future forecast statistics to have a guideline for entrepreneurs and new entrants. in this emerging field.

Q. How do you see the future of nonwovens in India over the next 10 years? Give us some facts and figures for the same?

A: Current levels of Indian nonwoven production are tiny by developed world standards. I expect the production level to reach 1.0 million tons in ten years, which would mean a very high growth rate.

The consumption of non-woven fabrics is directly related to the economic development and the per capita income of the population. With more than 60% of non-woven fabric usage being in disposable products, the availability of surplus revenue and increased hygiene awareness are important factors for growth. The current level of nonwoven production is only about 70,000 tons per year, which was the same level in China fifteen years ago. China today produces more than 1 million tons of non-woven fabrics.

With increased emphasis on renewable raw materials like cotton and viscose for disposable non-woven fabrics, many European and American manufacturers are expected to establish their base in India due to the abundance of these two raw materials in India.

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