I. The Development of Nonwoven Fabric Textile Industry

As of 1998, the global consumption of nonwoven fabric had reached 2.4 million tons. In 1970, the consumption was only 400,000 tons, and by 2007, it was expected to reach 4 million tons.

The producers of nonwoven fabric are mainly concentrated in the United States (accounting for 41% of the world's total), Western Europe accounts for 30%, Japan accounts for 8%, and China's production only accounts for 3.5% of the world's total, but its consumption is 17.5% of the world's total.

Artificial fibers still dominate the production of nonwoven fabric, and this situation is unlikely to change significantly before 2007. Among the fibers used in the production of nonwoven fabric worldwide, 63% are polypropylene, 23% are polyester, 8% are viscose, 2% are acrylic fibers, 1.5% are polyamide, and the remaining 3% are other fibers.

The application of nonwoven fabric in hygiene absorbent materials, medicine, transportation, and shoe-making textiles has seen a significant increase.

II. Production and Consumption of Nonwoven Fabric

The global consumption of nonwoven fabric was 800,000 tons in 1983, and it increased to 1.1 million tons in 1985, 1.4 million tons in 1988, and reached 2.4 million tons worldwide in 1998. It is expected that the consumption will reach 37 million tons by 2005.

The consumption of artificial fibers used in various textiles increased from 16.9 million tons in 1983 to 20.4 million tons in 1988, 30.4 million tons in 1998, and is expected to reach 37 million tons by 2005, and 38.3 million tons in 2007.

The growth rate of the consumption of artificial fibers in the production of nonwoven fabric is expected to reach 10% by 2005 and 10.4% by 2007. Part of the reason for such a rapid increase in the consumption of nonwoven fabric is the growth of auxiliary industries in China, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.

III. Factors Affecting the Growth Rate of Nonwoven Fabric

All factors affecting the growth of artificial fibers can have a certain impact on textiles made from artificial fibers, among which the impact on nonwoven fabric is the greatest. The factor of population growth has a smaller impact on nonwoven fabric compared to other textiles used for clothing. However, if considering the important application of nonwoven fabric in baby diapers, population growth is also an important influencing factor. The partial replacement of natural fibers has a greater impact on textiles, but has little impact on nonwoven fabric, as the production of nonwoven fabric mainly relies on artificial fibers.

The three major fibers used in the production of nonwoven fabric are polypropylene fibers (accounting for 62% of the total), polyester fibers (accounting for 24% of the total), and viscose fibers (accounting for 8%). From 1970 to 1985, viscose fibers were widely used in the production of nonwoven fabric. Between 2000 and 2005, polypropylene fibers and polyester fibers began to dominate in the fields of hygiene absorbent materials and medical textiles. In the early stage of the non-woven fabric production market, the usage of nylon was very large. Starting from 1998, the usage of acrylic fiber began to increase, especially in the field of artificial leather manufacturing.

There are many large-scale projects in China's various constructions, such as the Three Gorges Project, Xiaolangdi Project, environmental protection projects, the Western Development, infrastructure construction, etc. These will greatly promote the consumption of geotextiles, filtration materials, waterproof materials, and packaging materials. In addition, the increase in domestic consumers' income will also strongly drive the consumption of various hygiene absorbent products, air filtration materials, medical and health supplies, and labor protection and cultural and sports supplies. Therefore, the non-woven fabric industry in China has great growth potential in the future.