Middle East & Africa Nonwoven Fabrics Market Outlook, 2027

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is an ideal location for nonwovens manufacturing because it’s the centre of polymer production with low manufacturing costs, which can compete with other geographies. Geographically it’s centrally located for delivery to all continents. Nonwovens are basically the high-tech extensively used fabrics that are made from fibres used in medical field. They have beneficial properties such as barrier properties, tear resistance, absorbency, tensile strength, air permeability and abrasion resistance. They also help fight the spread of infection and the cross-contamination in a medical or surgical environment. The growth in focus toward preventing hospital acquired infections (HAIs), and improvement in healthcare infrastructure and services across the globe are the significant factors responsible for driving the growth of the medical nonwoven market. Additionally, the rise in health awareness, surge in disposable income and significant increase in geriatric population also heighten the overall growth of the market. Moreover, the innovations and advancements in nanotechnology and its increased use in medical nonwoven disposables production is expected to generate profitable opportunities for the market. However, the threat of substitutes such as woven products and the increase in popularity of less-invasive surgeries is estimated to obstruct the market’s growth. Also, environmental degradation resulting from disposal of incontinence products has the potential to challenge the market’s growth negatively.

According to the research report Middle East & Africa Nonwoven Fabric Market Outlook, 2027 it is expected to grow at a much slower CAGR of 7.07% as compared to previous years. By volume, it is expected to reach nearly 1.30 million tonnes by the end of the forecast period in 2027. Activity in the Middle Eastern nonwovens industry is growing as companies in the Middle East benefit from the local raw material supply and low manufacturing costs. Polypropylene nonwoven fabric remains widely used fabric with 56% market share. Multi-layer nonwoven fabric is expected to future market growth at a CAGR of 9.38%. Spun bond and dry laid technologies are generally used to produce nonwoven fabrics in Middle East & Africa region. Automotive & Filtration application would demand for nonwoven fabrics greatly in the forecast period.

UAE PP nonwoven market is witnessing a steady growth owing to urbanization and rise in population. The company’s focus to offer high quality baby care products at value for money are further bolstering market growth. In Saudi Arabia, the PP nonwoven market is growing at a steady rate due to the increasing demand for diapers. Nonwoven fabric finds its applications in the manufacturing process of diapers. The population of babies aged between 0 and 2 years is witnessing a decline with the popular trend of small families due to the rising female employment. This may affect market growth in the coming years. All these developments by the key players in the diaper industry are expected to increase the application of nonwoven fabric in the manufacturing of diapers, thereby pushing the market growth further over the forecasted years.

In Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabian Advanced Fabrics (SAAF) operates at two sites, one on the East coast of the country near Dammam and one on the West coast near Jeddah. A producer of spun bond and treated nonwovens, SAAF’s core markets are medical and hygiene. In the medical market, SAAF makes SMS fabrics for gowns and drapes, and CSR sterilization wrap, offering high tensile strength, elongation, and good air permeability that enable superior performance for this application. SAAF’s Medallion product used for surgeons and other operating room staff offers a degree of protection, for both the patient and healthcare worker that is not found in traditional products, according to the company. Treated in-house, Medallion offers a high level of barrier to fluid penetration with a hydro head exceeding most products on the market, good antistatic properties and full alcohol repellence. SAAF is constantly evaluating expansion opportunities on both new products and machinery upgrades; that will give SAAF a further competitive advantage by taking products and capabilities to the next level.

Considered in this report:

• Geography: Middle East & Africa
• Base year: 2021
• Estimated year: 2022
• Forecast year: 2027

Aspects covered in this report

• Middle East & Africa Nonwoven Fabric market with its value & volume and forecast along with its segments
• Various drivers and challenges
• On-going trends and developments
• Top profiled companies
• Strategic recommendation

Countries mentioned in the report:

• UAE
• Saudi Arabia
• Qatar
• South Africa

By Polymer Type in the report:

• Polypropylene
• Polyethylene
• PET
• Wood pulp
• Rayon
• Others (PA, PC, polyester, natural fibres, biopolymers)

By Layer Type in the report:

• Single-layer
• Multilayer

By Technologies in the report:

• Spun bond
• Wet laid
• Dry laid
• Others (electrostatic spinning and flash-spun)

By Application in the report:

• Hygiene
• Medical
• Filtration
• Automotive
• Building & Construction
• Others

The approach of the report:

This report consists of a combined approach of primary as well as secondary research. Initially, secondary research was used to get an understanding of the market and listing out the companies that are present in the market. The secondary research consists of third party sources such as press releases, annual report of companies, analysing the government generated reports and databases. After gathering the data from secondary sources primary research was conducted by making telephonic interviews with the leading players about how the market is functioning and then conducted trade calls with dealers and distributors of the market. Post this we have started doing primary calls to consumers by equally segmenting consumers in regional aspects, tier aspects, age group, and gender. Once we have primary data with us we have started verifying the details obtained from secondary sources.

Intended audience

This report can be useful to industry consultants, manufacturers, suppliers, associations & organizations related to Nonwoven Fabric Industry, government bodies and other stakeholders to align their market-centric strategies. In addition to marketing & presentations, it will also increase competitive knowledge about the industry.