2021… Slowing Down

After two years of unprecedented growth and investment, the picture for nonwovens in 2021 has certainly changed. Dozens of lines and hundreds of thousands of tons of new capacity—representing all types of nonwovens technologies—were planned around the globe in 2020 and early 2021, following surging demand for protective clothing, healthcare applications, face masks and disinfectant wipes. But, by the end of 2021, investment had slowed as companies faced new challenges like raw material increases, supply chain disruption, soaring energy costs and more.

Amidst these challenges, however, nonwovens producers continue to express optimism about the future, focusing on new product development, partnerships and line improvements, as they wait for new capacity to be utilized and supply challenges to abate. These manufacturers agree that the rate of nonwovens growth globally across most application areas continues to be strong and, while some markets have decreased from their mid-pandemic level highs, they are still stronger than they were before the coronavirus.

Looking ahead, probably the most pressing issue on most companies’ minds is sustainability and how to make their products and their processes greener. For many companies this has meant a look at alternative, bio-based polymers or a focus on increasing the use of recycled materials. These efforts are being driven by many factors—corporate culture, industry demand, retailer directives and even legislative action. It is no exaggeration that these factors are a driving force behind the actions of every single company profiled in this issue, and they will certainly play a key role in shaping the way these firms do business in the future

By the Numbers

This year’s top companies report includes 40 nonwovens producers located around the world. While many of the leading companies are based in established markets like the U.S. and Western Europe, companies from less developed areas are increasing their role. This year, there continues to be more companies reporting increasing sales, from developing countries like Brazil, Turkey, China, Taiwan and the Czech Republic. Many of these companies are focusing on new line investments and acquisitions, meaning their rankings will only grow in  future years.

This year, there are two key names—Georgia-Pacific and Jacob Holm Industries—missing from the report. An early innovator in nonwovens and airlaid fabrics, Georgia-Pacific has slowly decreased its presence in nonwovens in recent years, selling its European business in 2020 and its U.S. assets earlier this year to Glatfelter. Likewise, Jacob Holm, a leader in spunlace technology with plants in the U.S. and Europe, sold its business in its entirety to Glatfelter in 2021.

As is always the case, each company in this survey is ranked on the basis of the prior year (2021) sales, which are translated from local currency to U.S. dollars using the average conversion rate for 2021. In several cases, sales are estimated, and in all instances, these sales figures do not reflect economic factors like currency fluctuations or raw material prices which can skew positions in the ranking. While ranking by annual sales figures is necessary to the nature of this report, it is really the activities of these companies—as reported in their profiles—that should be considered

* For the 2020 top companies report, which was published in September 2021.

Karen McIntyre
Editor