The latest expert analysis from Smithers shows that global sales of nonwovens will continue to grow, despite short-term headwinds, U.S. trade tariffs, and the need to rebalance supply and demand for several key variants. Data from The Future of Global Nonwovens to 2030 show consumption worldwide will reach 16.1 million tons, equivalent to 471.5 billion square meters of substrates, with a value of $67.2 billion. 

Expert Smithers market forecasting tracks how multiple market, consumer and technical preferences will fuel further growth, with value rising to $90.8 billion in 2030, equivalent to a compound annual growth rate of 6.2% for the five-year period. Across the same time period, demand by tonnage will track slightly below this, at a 6.0% CAGR, while surface area will increase at 6.7% – reflecting the move towards high-performing, lower basis weight nonwovens. 

Of the 20 end-use applications analyzed in the report’s extensive dataset, disposable nonwovens – mainly hygiene, feminine hygiene, wipes and single-use medical PPE – account for 60.1% of the market 2025 by surface area. Sales for hygiene goods is slowing in developed markets, with a trend away from lower-cost spunlaid nonwovens to softer or more natural carded or spunlace nonwovens as well as softer spunlaid variants. Wipes continue to be the second most important end-use product, but this segment is facing new challenges to develop more sustainable flushable options, leading to the development of more viscose, lyocell and cotton products. 

In terms of value, durable nonwovens are more important than disposables, reflecting new need for high-performance materials in a host of industries, including filtration, upholstery and flooring, geotextiles, and automotive construction. This half of the market is more diversified with multiple end-uses, making it less vulnerable to disruption from changes in consumer purchasing habits and is set to benefit from economic stimulus packages that will include nonwoven-intensive infrastructure projects. There is interest in more sustainable durable nonwovens in several industries, but biodegradable or compostable substrates are rarely required or functional; with designers instead focussed on lower basis weights and improving key performance metrics. There are some new highly lucrative opportunities as well, such as in wetlaid separators for electric automotive batteries. 

Spunlaid – including meltblown, spunbond and spunbond-meltblown-spunbond (SMS) variants – remains the most widely used nonwoven type, 45.4% of contemporary demand by weight. This places it just ahead of drylaid – spunlace, needlepunch, adhesive-bonded carded and thermal-bonded carded variants –  with 44.4% of tonnage. 

Globally, there is now an oversupply of spunlaid production assets, especially in China; which is pushing prices downwards. A similar situation exists for spunlace materials, due to over-expansion especially in Turkey and China, though demand is strengthening for higher-priced, more sustainable substrates. 

Needlepunch lines also have overcapacity, but this may be managed by the closure of older production assets. Demand and production capacity for wetlaid, carded and airlaid nonwovens are more balanced. 

U.S. trade tariffs initiated by the Trump Administration have disrupted the nonwovens industry, with several companies suspending investments, and even product developments, due to uncertainty. High tariffs might make exports from any plant built overseas no longer economically viable for U.S. sales. If tariffs remain in place for several years, it may change the distribution of overcapacity; North American producers will get the highest margins, while Europe will bear the brunt of both Turkish and Chinese excess capacity looking for new markets. Countering this, there will be less demand for greener nonwovens in North America as the new administration de-emphasizes or pulls back from sustainability targets. 

The Future of Global Nonwovens to 2030 is available to purchase now, with a market data set of over 125 tables and figures segmenting worldwide demand by raw material, nonwoven variant/process, end-use application and geographic region.