Global Hygiene Nonwoven Fabric Industry Growth and Trends Forecast to 2031

Hygiene nonwoven fabric refers to a category of engineered materials used in personal care and medical applications that require high levels of cleanliness, absorbency, softness, and functionality. Unlike traditional woven textiles, nonwoven fabrics are produced by bonding or entangling fibers through mechanical, thermal, or chemical means, without weaving or knitting. These fabrics are specifically developed to serve end-use products such as baby diapers, sanitary napkins, adult incontinence products, wet wipes, face masks, surgical drapes, and medical pads. Their ability to combine properties such as high fluid management, barrier performance, breathability, and softness makes them indispensable in hygiene applications.

The development of hygiene nonwoven fabric dates back to the mid-20th century, with the earliest materials made via dry-laid and resin-bonded techniques. The hygiene boom of the 1970s and 1980s, particularly the growth of disposable diapers and feminine hygiene products, catalyzed major innovations in spunbond and meltblown technologies. During the 1990s and 2000s, air-through bonding and carded thermal bonding gained popularity for topsheets and acquisition layers due to their skin-friendliness and softness. By the 2010s, the global market witnessed increasing demand for multilayer composites such as SMS (spunbond-meltblown-spunbond) and coform structures, especially in adult care and medical protective wear. Today, the hygiene nonwoven segment continues to be one of the largest and most technologically advanced sectors within the global nonwoven industry.

Technically, hygiene nonwoven fabrics are classified by their production processes, including spunbond, meltblown, spunlace (hydroentangled), air-through (hot air), needlepunched, SMS composites, and others such as coform or hybrid technologies. Each method results in distinct fiber entanglement and bonding characteristics that are tailored for specific hygiene needs. Spunbond fabrics offer tensile strength and cost-efficiency, commonly used in outer layers and backsheets. Meltblown delivers ultra-fine fibers ideal for filtration and barrier performance. Spunlace offers exceptional softness and liquid handling, often used in wet wipes and femcare. Air-through bonding creates lofty, soft, and breathable fabrics for topsheets and acquisition layers. Needlepunched nonwovens are less common but serve niche applications such as underpads or reusable hygiene components. SMS composites integrate different layers to achieve both strength and fluid barrier properties.

From a structural and functional standpoint, hygiene nonwovens are engineered into multiple layers, each performing a critical role. Topsheets provide skin contact and comfort; acquisition distribution layers (ADLs) manage fluid intake and dispersion; cores incorporate superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) often in fluff-less or hybrid formats; and backsheets offer breathability and leakage protection. In addition to functional design, manufacturers incorporate antimicrobial agents, odor control, skin care additives, and biodegradable or sustainable fibers such as PLA, cotton, or bamboo viscose to align with regulatory and environmental demands.

Hygiene nonwovens have diverse end uses. Baby diapers remain the largest consumer, driving innovation in thinner, more absorbent, and more breathable materials. Feminine hygiene applications require high fluid wicking, skin comfort, and discreet appearance. Adult incontinence products demand a balance of discretion, odor control, and high absorbency under pressure. Wet wipes, including baby, personal care, and household variants, rely heavily on spunlace and airlaid technologies. In the medical and healthcare sector, face masks, surgical gowns, drapes, and medical pads utilize SMS and meltblown composites for fluid resistance and filtration efficiency. Some segments such as surgical tapes, wound dressings, and cosmetic pads also increasingly adopt spunlace or advanced coform fabrics.

As of the mid-2020s, the hygiene nonwoven fabric market is a mature but dynamically evolving segment. Global annual consumption exceeds 4.5 million metric tons, with Asia-Pacific accounting for nearly half due to population scale and regional manufacturing capacity. While traditional drivers such as birth rates and aging populations remain fundamental, the market is increasingly influenced by sustainability trends, material cost inflation, and regional manufacturing shifts. Biodegradable and recyclable nonwovens, plastic-free topsheets, and reduced basis weight designs are in high demand. Regulatory pressure, such as the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive, accelerates the adoption of bio-based or cellulose-derived alternatives. Additionally, global manufacturers are reshaping their supply chains and regional capacities in response to post-pandemic logistics shifts and cost optimization strategies.

The global hygiene nonwoven fabric industry constitutes a critical segment of the broader nonwoven textiles market, supporting the production of essential hygiene products such as baby diapers, feminine care items, adult incontinence products, wet wipes, and various medical disposables. Defined by engineered fabric technologies that bypass conventional weaving or knitting, hygiene nonwovens are produced using processes such as spunbond, meltblown, spunlace, hot-air/air-through bonding, needlepunch, SMS composites, and emerging hybrid structures. Each method confers distinct functional advantages in terms of fluid handling, tactile performance, barrier properties, and breathability, allowing tailored applications across a wide spectrum of personal care and healthcare needs.

According to APO Research, between 2020 and 2024, the global hygiene nonwoven fabric market experienced moderate growth followed by temporary stagnation, impacted by post-pandemic demand normalization and regional overcapacity, particularly in China and parts of Asia. Nevertheless, the market is structurally resilient due to its indispensable role in daily-use hygiene products. In 2024, total global sales volume reached approximately 4.52 million metric tons, generating revenues of USD 16.13 billion, with Asia-Pacific accounting for nearly 46% of global volume and 40% of global revenue. The industry remains geographically imbalanced: mature markets such as North America and Europe exhibit stable consumption with a tilt toward value-added and sustainable materials, while emerging markets such as India, Southeast Asia, and parts of Africa show higher volumetric growth potential driven by rising hygiene awareness, urbanization, and population growth.

The technology composition of global hygiene nonwoven production reveals spunbond as the dominant volume contributor (~35.9%), followed by spunlace, hot-air bonded, SMS, and needlepunch. In terms of revenue, higher-priced technologies like spunlace and SMS command greater shares, with meltblown contributing a small but essential segment for medical and filtration-oriented applications. Product prices vary significantly by technology and end-use requirements, with meltblown and SMS commanding higher unit prices due to technical complexity, while spunbond and needlepunch offer cost-effective mass solutions.

From a value chain perspective, the industry is vertically integrated in several regions, with key raw materials such as polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyester (PET), viscose, and specialty bicomponent fibers sourced from major global producers including LyondellBasell, ExxonMobil, Sinopec, Indorama Ventures, and Sateri. A limited number of Tier-1 nonwoven producers — such as Berry Global, Freudenberg Performance Materials, PFNonwovens, Fitesa, Gulsan Group, and Mitsui Chemicals Asahi Life Materials — supply global hygiene brand owners and regional converters through a mix of direct sales and distributor networks. Sales channels include direct OEM partnerships, regional agents, and increasingly digital procurement platforms for wipes and private-label converters.

Application-wise, baby diapers account for the largest consumption of hygiene nonwoven fabric by volume, while adult incontinence and feminine care represent critical growth segments in aging and high-income societies. Wet wipes, especially those based on spunlace, have shown strong post-pandemic normalization and demand diversification into home and pet care. Meanwhile, face masks, surgical drapes, and protective medical materials remain essential but volatile subsegments, highly sensitive to public health events and regulatory shifts. Regionally, consumption patterns are closely tied to population demographics, hygiene adoption rates, reimbursement policies, and consumer preferences for comfort, discretion, and sustainability.

In this section, the readers will gain an understanding of the key players competing. This report has studied the key growth strategies, such as innovative trends and developments, intensification of product portfolio, mergers and acquisitions, collaborations, new product innovation, and geographical expansion, undertaken by these participants to maintain their presence. Apart from business strategies, the study includes current developments and key financials. The readers will also get access to the data related to global revenue, price, and sales by manufacturers for the period 2020-2025. This all-inclusive report will certainly serve the clients to stay updated and make effective decisions in their businesses.

Berry Global

Fitesa S.A.

Toray

Magnera Corporation

Zhejiang Kingsafe

PFNonwovens

Suominen

Gulsan Group

Avgol

Fibertex Personal Care

Mitsui Chemicals Asahi Life Materials

Fibertex Nonwovens

TWE Group

Nan Liu Enterprise

Jofo Nonwovens

Spuntech

Ahlstrom-Munksjö

Freudenberg Performance Materials

Sandler

Spunbond

Meltblown

Spunlace

Hot-air / Air-through

Needlepunch

SMS

Others

Baby Diapers

Feminine Hygiene

Adult Incontinence Products

Wet Wipes

Face Masks and Surgical Drapes

Medical and Hygiene Pads

North America

United States

Canada

Mexico

Europe

Germany

France

U.K.

Italy

Russia

Spain

Netherlands

Switzerland

Sweden

Poland

Asia-Pacific

China

Japan

South Korea

India

Australia

Taiwan

Southeast Asia

South America

Brazil

Argentina

Chile

Colombia

Middle East & Africa

Egypt

South Africa

Israel

Türkiye

GCC Countries

High-impact rendering factors and drivers have been studied in this report to aid the readers to understand the general development. Moreover, the report includes restraints and challenges that may act as stumbling blocks on the way of the players. This will assist the users to be attentive and make informed decisions related to business. Specialists have also laid their focus on the upcoming business prospects.

1. This report will help the readers to understand the competition within the industries and strategies for the competitive environment to enhance the potential profit. The report also focuses on the competitive landscape of the global Hygiene Nonwoven Fabric market, and introduces in detail the market share, industry ranking, competitor ecosystem, market performance, new product development, operation situation, expansion, and acquisition. etc. of the main players, which helps the readers to identify the main competitors and deeply understand the competition pattern of the market.

2. This report will help stakeholders to understand the global industry status and trends of Hygiene Nonwoven Fabric and provides them with information on key market drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities.

3. This report will help stakeholders to understand competitors better and gain more insights to strengthen their position in their businesses. The competitive landscape section includes the market share and rank (in volume and value), competitor ecosystem, new product development, expansion, and acquisition.

4. This report stays updated with novel technology integration, features, and the latest developments in the market

5. This report helps stakeholders to gain insights into which regions to target globally

6. This report helps stakeholders to gain insights into the end-user perception concerning the adoption of Hygiene Nonwoven Fabric.

7. This report helps stakeholders to identify some of the key players in the market and understand their valuable contribution.

Chapter 1: Introduces the study scope of this report, executive summary of market segments by type, market size segments for North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South America, Middle East & Africa.

Chapter 2: Introduces the market dynamics, latest developments of the market, the driving factors and restrictive factors of the market, the challenges and risks faced by manufacturers in the industry, and the analysis of relevant policies in the industry.

Chapter 3: Detailed analysis of Hygiene Nonwoven Fabric manufacturers competitive landscape, price, sales, revenue, market share and ranking, latest development plan, merger, and acquisition information, etc.

Chapter 4: Sales, revenue of Hygiene Nonwoven Fabric in regional level. It provides a quantitative analysis of the market size and development potential of each region and introduces the future development prospects, and market space in the world.

Chapter 5: Introduces market segments by application, market size segment for North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South America, Middle East & Africa.

Chapter 6: Provides profiles of key players, introducing the basic situation of the main companies in the market in detail, including product sales, revenue, price, gross margin, product introduction, recent development, etc.

Chapter 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South America, Middle East & Africa, sales and revenue by country.

Chapter 12: Analysis of industrial chain, key raw materials, manufacturing cost, and market dynamics.

Chapter 13: Concluding Insights of the report.