Nonwoven Filter Media Market Size By Production Process (Airlaid, Wetlaid, Meltblown, Spunbond), By Form (Air Filtration, Liquid Filtration), By Application (Transportation, Water Filtration, Respiratory Protection, HVAC, Food & Beverage, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Oil & Gas), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook, Application Growth Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2021 – 2027

Industry Trends

Nonwoven Filter Media Market size was USD 18.1 billion in 2020 and will grow at a CAGR of 6.5% between 2021 and 2027 driven by the growing demand for liquid and air filters in various end-user industries. Rising applications of nonwoven filter media in respiratory protective masks will augment market growth.
 

Nonwoven Filter Media is a porous fabric made from a random array of fibers & filament and whose job is to filter or separate particles or components from a liquid or gas which is being transported through the media. Nonwoven filter media are in high demand in the HVAC, water filtration, and respiratory protection end-user industries.
 

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The main advantage of nonwoven filter media is they can be engineered and fabricated very preciously to meet the exact requirements of the air filtration and liquid filtration industry regulations. The product has longer service life and exhibits increased efficiency, making it the ideal material for filtration.
 

Nonwoven filter media have become preferred filtering materials for various respiratory masks such as surgical masks, N-95, K-95, and other respirators. The rapid increase in the demand for respirators in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic emergence has propelled the nonwoven filter media market revenue growth. Nonwovens filter media provide finer filtration compared to other filter media.
 

During the forecast period, the market will be driven by the rising HVAC, automotive, and water filtration industries. The World Health Organization (WHO), NGOs, and governments around the world are working on better access to safe waters. An unsafe water supply is the main cause of water-borne disease among the population. The rising demand for filter media from the water filtration and management industry will fuel the nonwoven filter media market growth.
 

Nonwoven filters are engineered to remove ultrafine dust & particles, aerosols, various bacteria, and other smaller organisms from air and liquid in a wide range of applications such as the clean rooms, hospitals, precision, and pharmaceutical industries. The nonwoven filter media market is steadily rising in the pharma industry due to the ongoing healthcare crisis around the world.
 

Regulations in many countries have pushed pharma companies to ensure sterile manufacturing conditions. Manufacturing plants in the pharma sector use multiple levels of screening to filter various pathogens from air, water/liquid, and raw materials. Thus, nonwovens filter media are witnessing a high demand from the pharmaceutical industry.
 

The production of nonwoven filters like their demand is shifting to the Asian region. According to INDA and EDANA, the leading nonwovens manufacturers associations, production is shifting to Asian countries from western regions such as North America and Europe. For instance, in 2018, North America accounted for 44% of the world’s production, down from 49% from the decade earlier. However, Asia Pacific led by China accounted for 38% of the world’s production, jumping from 31% in 2008. This trend can be attributed to the rising population, rapid industrialization, and increase in disposable incomes.
 

There is an enormous gap between developed mature markets and emerging markets, in terms of volume of filter media usage. Due to the increasing awareness of safe & clean air and water, consumers in emerging markets, such as India, Indonesia, and Africa, demand clean air and water as much as consumers in the U.S. and Germany. Authorities in the emerging markets are developing filtration-intensive infrastructure, thus propelling the nonwoven filter media market demand in such markets.
 

In the emerging and mature markets, governments are tightening regulations and legislation on pollution control and clean air &water, thus pushing the demand for filters in such applications. During the forecast period, regulatory forces and the environment can be key forces in the global nonwoven filter media market.
 

It is estimated that an average passenger vehicle with internal combustion engines uses more than four dozen filters. The global automotive industry is transforming and manufacturing products with better emission standards. Filters in automobiles are very useful in minimizing contamination and controlling carbon emissions. Rising sales of automobiles in the emerging markets will drive the nonwoven filter media demand.
 

The healthcare & medical industry witnessed rapid growth in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the demand for face masks multifold in 2020. The increased demand for face masks by medical professionals and common people has propelled the demand for nonwoven filter media, especially meltblown nonwovens around the world.
 

However, industry players have experienced significant raw material price fluctuations in 2020 due to supply chain disruptions. In the near future, raw material prices may fluctuate due to the shutdown of factories, closing of international borders, and market dynamics. This may cause a significant impact on the nonwoven filter media market share.
 

The COVID-19 pandemic had a positive impact on the market. Nonwoven filter media is significantly used in face masks. To counter the spread of coronavirus, governments around the world have imposed mandatory regulations on wearing masks. Global face mask demand is likely to increase in the near future due to the second or third wave of COVID-19. The sudden growth in COVID-19 patients has increased the demand for PPE and face masks. Product demand from respiratory protection and healthcare applications will be driven by the COVID-19 pandemic.
 

The nonwoven filter media industry is very fragmented with the presence of a large number of players operating from China. Key players in the market tend to focus on one filtration application for technological reasons. Market players know that they have more market power in their key end-use industries than it would be in the commodity industry.
 

Increasing demand for face masks drive melt blown filter media

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Melt blown nonwoven filter media held the second-largest demand share in 2020. The segment accounted for more than 40% demand share in 2020 owing to its increased application in respiratory protection. Meltblown filter media manufacturing companies around the world have increased their manufacturing capacity and introduced new product lines amid the COVID-19 pandemic For instance, Mondi build melt-blown nonwoven fabric and surgical face mask production lines in its Gronau, Germany plant.
 

Air & gas filters will dominate the market

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Air & gas filtration will hold close to 70% revenue share in 2027. Air & gas filtration dominates the global nonwoven filter media market as it is used in various end-use industries. Growth in this segment will be largely driven by the rising transportation industry and HVAC industry around the world.
 

Respiratory protection application segment will drive market demand in the near future

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The respiratory protection application segment demand share will be more than 5%. With the rapid surge in demand for face masks, countries faced challenges such as a shortage in the production and supply of masks. Governments in different countries have imposed regulations on wearing face masks due to the outbreak of COVID-19, increasing the consumption of melt blown nonwovens in the production of face masks.
 

Growing end-user industries will drive the Asia Pacific market growth

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Asia Pacific will grow at the highest CAGR of more than 7.5% in terms of volume during the study timeframe. The region has the presence of strongly growing end-user industries. Due to the increasing number of COVID-19 patients and rising risks of the virus in the air, several countries imposed stringent regulations to wear masks compulsorily. The regulation has increased the adoption of masks and production of nonwoven fabrics for mask production. The growing population, rising income levels, changing lifestyles, and rising female working population have offered lucrative opportunities to nonwovens filter media manufacturers.
 

Increasing production capacity has become a key strategy for industry players

In August 2017, ATEX started the commercialization of a significant capacity increase of its melt blown and composites production in its plant located in Gainesville, U.S., effectively doubling its output. Additionally, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a sudden rise in demand for nonwoven respiratory filters from mask manufacturers. To meet the risen demand, many product manufacturers have increased their production capacity or added new product lines.
 

The Nonwoven filter media market report includes in-depth coverage of the industry with estimates & forecast in terms of revenue in USD million from 2017 to 2027 for the following segments:
 

By Production Process

• Airlaid
• Wetlaid
• Meltblown
• Spunbond
• Others

By Form

• Air Filtration
• Liquid Filtration

By Application

• Transportation
• Water filtration
• Respiratory protection (face mask and other respirators)
• HVAC
• Food & beverage
• Healthcare
• Manufacturing
• Oil & gas (hydrocarbon processing)
• Others

The above information is provided on a regional and country basis for the following:

By Region

• North America
  • U.S.
  • Canada
• Europe
  • Germany
  • UK
  • France
  • Spain
  • Italy
• Asia Pacific
  • China
  • India
  • Japan
  • Australia
  • Indonesia
  • Malaysia
  • South Korea
• Latin America
  • Mexico
  • Brazil
• Middle East & Africa
  • UAE
  • Saudi Arabia
  • South Africa