The Global Non-woven Fabrics market to grow at a CAGR of 6.97% over the period 2014-2019, as per Research and Markets, on increased usage in construction industry. Non-woven fabrics are widely used in the Construction sector for applications such as house wraps and roofing materials, and as geotextiles. Infrastructural and construction spending is on the rise in developing countries owing to economic growth and growing populations. According to the report, the global demand for non-woven fabrics is increasing because of growing demand for medical disposable supplies from the Medical sector. Increased demand for personal hygiene products owing to a rise in public awareness along with the growing population and increased incidence of medical conditions are factors propelling the demand for disposable medical supplies. Non-woven fabrics are sheets or webbed structures that are bonded together by chemical, thermal, or mechanical processes. They are not formed by knitting or weaving. Based on type, PP non-woven fabrics can be divided into four segments: Spunbond, Staple, Meltblown and Composite. They are used for various applications in the hygiene, construction, geotextile, filtration, and automotive, and others sectors. The report states that volatile raw material prices are one of the major challenges that the market faces. Since non-woven fabric feedstock is derived from crude oil, any rise in crude oil prices increases the cost of production and reduces the profit margins of the manufacturers of non-woven fabrics. Price is a major determining factor for many end-users in the Global Non-woven Fabrics market.

Grand View Research reports that the staples PP (Polypropylene) nonwoven fabric market by application (Hygiene, Industrial, Medical, Geotextiles, Agriculture) is expected to reach US$9.02 bln by 2020. Growing baby diapers and adult incontinence products' demand will drive global staples PP Non-woven fabric market over the next six years. Increasing staples PP Non-woven fabrics penetration in automotive and industrial applications is also expected to have a positive influence on the market growth. Increasing expenditure on Healthcare in the emerging markets of China and India prompted the demand for protective medical apparel which is further expected to impact the market growth. Volatile price of polypropylene is expected to remain a key challenge for market participants. Hygiene was the largest application segment and accounted for 37.5% of the total market volume in 2013. Increasing geriatric population base, particularly in the U.S., Japan, and Western Europe will remain a key driver for this segment. High birth rates in North African countries and Middle East, coupled with increasing baby diaper usage in Southeast Asian countries are also expected to have a positive impact on the segment growth. Medical is expected to witness the highest growth rate of 7.7% from 2014 to 2020. Presence of sophisticated healthcare system in developed economies like the U.S. and Europe coupled with increasing healthcare expenditure in South American and Asian countries is expected to drive this segment.
Further key findings from the study suggest:
* Global staples PP Non-woven fabric demand was 1,949.2 kilotons in 2013 and is expected to reach 3,103.9 kilotons by 2020, growing at a CAGR of 6.9% from 2014 to 2020.
* Asia Pacific emerged as the largest regional staples PP Non-woven fabric market and accounted for over 40% of the total market volume in 2013. Growing baby diapers demand in India and China coupled with increasing investment from companies such as Kimberly-Clark in these countries is expected to remain a key driving factor for the regional market.
* Middle East is expected to witness significant growth in demand for staples PP Non-woven fabrics. The region is expected to grow at an estimated CAGR of 9.4% from 2014 to 2020.
* Global staples PP Non-woven fabric market is dominated with top multinational corporations. The market has witnessed frequent M&A activities in the recent past. Major companies adopt this strategy in order to reduce competition and gain market share. Some of the major companies operating in the global market include Fibertex, Kimberly-Clark, First Quality, Toray Industries, Mitsui, Fiberweb and Polymer Group Inc.

The global nonwoven fabrics market is expected to reach US$42.1 bln by 2020, according to another study by Grand View Research, Inc. Growing production of baby diapers on account of increasing birth rate particularly in Asia Pacific is expected to remain a key driving factor for the global nonwoven fabrics market. Increasing construction spending in emerging economies of China, India and Brazil is also expected to have a positive influence on the market growth. Volatile prices of key raw materials are expected to remain a key challenge for market participants over the next six years. Polypropylene nonwoven fabrics were the highest consumed product segment accounted for over 60% of total market demand in 2013. PP nonwoven fabrics are also expected to witness highest growth rate over the next six years. Increasing birth rates in emerging markets of India and China and increasing geriatric population in countries such as U.S., UK, Germany and Japan have driven the demand for baby diapers and adult incontinence products respectively. Increasing demand for baby diapers and adult incontinence products is expected to drive polypropylene nonwoven fabrics demand. Further key findings from the study suggest:
* Global nonwoven fabrics demand was 8,687.2 kilo tons in 2013 and is expected to reach 13,652.4 kilo tons by 2020, growing at a CAGR of 6.7% from 2014 to 2020.
* Spunlaid emerged as the leading technology used in the global nonwoven fabrics market and accounted for 48.5% of total market volume in 2013. Spunlaid is also expected to witness highest growth rate over the next several years. Increasing demand for spunlaid nonwoven fabrics in hygiene and medical applications is expected to drive its market over the next six years.
* Global demand for air laid based nonwoven fabrics is expected to exceed 1 million tons by 2020.
Durable applications such as construction, automotive and geotextile were the leading application segment in the global nonwoven fabrics market which together accounted for 59.7% of total market volume in 2013. Growth of construction and automotive industry particularly in BRIC nations is expected to spur growth for nonwoven fabrics in durable applications. Asia Pacific was the leading regional market and accounted for 42.4% of total market demand in 2013. Growth of major end-use industries particularly in emerging markets of China and India is expected to drive nonwoven fabrics market in the region over the forecast period. Middle East and Africa is expected to be the fastest growing regional market for nonwoven fabrics at an estimated CAGR of 8.2% from 2014 to 2020. Growth of geotextiles and construction industries in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and South Africa is expected to drive the regional market. The global nonwoven fabrics market is highly fragmented in nature with the market witnessing frequent mergers & acquisitions by large companies in order to gain market share. Top four companies accounted for below 20% of total market in 2013. Some of the major companies operating in the market include Freudenberg, Ahlstrom, DuPont, PEGAS, Providencia, AVGOL, Kimberly-Clark, PGI, Fiberweb, Mitsui and Toray.