EU Nonwoven Fabric Exports Rise Steadily, Reaching $8.2B

IndexBox has just published a new report: 'EU - Nonwoven Fabric - Market Analysis, Forecast, Size, Trends and Insights'. Here is a summary of the report's key findings.

In 2021, the EU nonwoven fabric market increased by 7.4% to $7.6B, rising for the second year in a row. The market value increased at an average annual rate of +2.6% over the period from 2011 to 2021. 

EU Nonwoven Fabric Consumption by Country 

In 2021, approx. 1.8M tons of nonwoven fabrics were consumed in the European Union; standing approx. at the previous year. The total consumption volume increased at an average annual rate of +3.3% over the period from 2011 to 2021. 

The countries with the highest volumes of nonwoven fabric consumption in 2021 were Germany, Italy and Poland, together comprising 48% of total consumption. These countries were followed by France, the Czech Republic, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Finland, Austria and Romania, which together accounted for a further 42%. 

EU Nonwoven Fabric Production 

In 2021, production of nonwoven fabrics in the European Union was estimated at 1.9M tons. In value terms, production was approx. $6.6B in 2021 estimated in export prices. 

The countries with the highest volumes of nonwoven fabric production in 2021 were Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic, together accounting for 60% of total production. France, Spain, Poland and Denmark lagged somewhat behind, together comprising a further 24%.

EU Nonwoven Fabric Exports 

For the eleventh consecutive year, the European Union recorded growth in shipments abroad of nonwoven fabrics, which increased by 3.6% to 1.6M tons in 2021. The total export volume increased at an average annual rate of +3.0% from 2011 to 2021.

In value terms, exports surged to $8.2B in 2021. The total export value increased at an average annual rate of +2.1% from 2011 to 2021.

Exports by Country

Germany (394K tons) and Italy (310K tons) represented the major exporters of nonwoven fabrics in 2021, amounting to near 24% and 19% of total volume, respectively. The Czech Republic (140K tons) ranks next in terms of the total exports with an 8.6% share, followed by France (7.5%), Spain (6.5%), Poland (6.2%) and the Netherlands (5.7%). The following exporters - Belgium (69K tons), Luxembourg (53K tons), Denmark (52K tons), Sweden (52K tons), Slovenia (33K tons) and Greece (26K tons) - together made up 18% of total supplies.

In value terms, Germany ($2.4B), Italy ($1.5B) and France ($592M) appeared to be the countries with the highest levels of exports in 2021, together accounting for 54% of total supplies. The Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Spain, Belgium, Poland, Luxembourg, Sweden, Denmark, Slovenia and Greece lagged somewhat behind, together comprising a further 41%.

Poland, with a CAGR of +15.7%, recorded the highest growth rate of the value of exports, in terms of the main exporting countries over the past decade, while shipments for the other leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

Export Prices by Country

The nonwoven fabric export price in the European Union stood at $4,997 per ton in 2021, with an increase of 12% against the previous year. Prices varied noticeably by the country of origin: the country with the highest price was Luxembourg ($7,276 per ton), while Denmark ($3,499 per ton) was amongst the lowest. From 2011 to 2021, the most notable rate of growth in terms of prices was attained by Greece (+1.0%), while the other leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

EU Nonwoven Fabric Imports in the EU

In 2021, supplies from abroad of nonwoven fabrics increased by 6.9% to 1.5M tons, rising for the sixth year in a row after two years of decline. The total import volume increased at an average annual rate of +4.3% over the period from 2011 to 2021.

In value terms, imports skyrocketed to $6.9B in 2021. The total import value increased at an average annual rate of +3.6% over the period from 2011 to 2021.

Imports by Country

In 2021, Germany (298K tons), distantly followed by Poland (173K tons), the Netherlands (143K tons), France (132K tons), Italy (115K tons), the Czech Republic (106K tons), Spain (94K tons) and Belgium (86K tons) represented the largest importers of nonwoven fabrics, together making up 77% of total purchases. Sweden (44K tons), Austria (42K tons), Romania (41K tons), Greece (26K tons) and Hungary (26K tons) followed a long way behind the leaders.

In value terms, Germany ($1.4B) constitutes the largest market for imported nonwoven fabrics in the European Union, comprising 20% of total supplies. The second position in the ranking was occupied by Poland ($685M), with a 9.9% share of total imports. It was followed by Italy, with a 9.7% share.

From 2011 to 2021, the average annual rate of growth in terms of value in Germany stood at +2.7%. In the other countries, the average annual rates were as follows: Poland (+3.5% per year) and Italy (+4.8% per year).

Import Prices by Country

In 2021, the nonwoven fabric import price in the European Union amounted to $4,616 per ton, picking up by 11% against the previous year. There were significant differences in the average prices amongst the major importing countries. In 2021, the country with the highest price was Italy ($5,816 per ton), while the Netherlands ($3,617 per ton) was amongst the lowest. From 2011 to 2021, the most notable rate of growth in terms of prices was attained by Spain (+2.0%), while the other leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

Source: IndexBox Market Intelligence Platform