Nonwovens production in Greater Europe increased
in volume by 2.6% in 2024 to 2,976, 400 tons, according to Brussels-based industry association EDANA.
By surface area, a 2.9% increase was achieved, with 85.1
billion square metres manufactured.
On a national level, however, there were differing trends
in terms of
production volume
and fluctuations ins
terms of the various
production
processes.
“In the aftermath of
two consecutive
annual declines of
more than 5% in
both 2022 and 2023,
the production of
nonwovens in
Greater Europe has
reverted to its
pre-pandemic level in terms of weight,” said Jacques
Prigneaux, EDANA’s market analysis and economic
affairs director, “At the same time, the production in
surface area grew at a faster rate, resulting in an
average grammage of 34.9 gsm, as opposed to the 37.2
gsm recorded in 2019.”These figures show that
nonwovens manufacturers are continuously achieving
optimised performance with lower basis weight
materials. Wetlaid nonwovens, which experienced a
significant decline in 2023, demonstrated the most
substantial growth rates this in 2024, while airlaid was
the only web-forming process to register a decline in
2024, having been the sole process to exhibit growth in
2023.
Spunmelt production continues to dominate in terms of
surface area and drylaid exhibited limited growth,
attributable to the positive developments seen in the
production and sales of air-through and hydroentangled
materials. The dominant end-use for nonwovens
continues to be the
hygiene market,
accounting for 27%
of deliveries,
amounting to
797,300 tons and
exhibiting 1.7%
growth in 2024. The
most substantial
growth sectors for
nonwovens in 2024
were building and
roofing materials
(+14.2%), food and
beverage
applications (+13%), cotton pads (+4.9%) and personal
care wipes (+4.8%). “Thanks to data collected in the two
units, our statistics provide EDANA members with the
opportunity to thoroughly analyze trends in tonnage and
surface area across eleven production processes and at
least 83 market segments,” Prigneaux said. “Without the
input from participating companies these figures could
have not been compiled, and we would like to thank them
again for their efforts in sending their input to us. This
data, combined with continuous monitoring of the
industry, guarantees that EDANA statistics serve as a
valuable planning and benchmarking instrument for all
member companies.