All factors that affect the growth of artificial fibers can have a certain impact on textiles made from artificial fibers, with non-woven fabrics having the greatest impact. The impact of population growth on non-woven fabrics is smaller than other textiles used in clothing. But if we consider the important application of non-woven fabrics in baby diapers, then population growth is also an important influencing factor. The partial substitution of natural fibers has a significant impact on textiles, but has little impact on non-woven fabrics, as their production mainly relies on artificial fibers.
The commercial development of artificial fibers and the professional application of non-woven fabrics: With the establishment of international economic treaties, the trade of microfibers, composite fibers, biodegradable fibers, and new polyester fibers has grown. This has a significant impact on non-woven fabrics, but not on clothing and knitted textiles. Substitution of textiles and other articles: This includes non-woven fabrics, knitting textiles, plastic films, polyurea foam, wood pulp, leather, etc. This is determined by the cost and performance requirements required of the product. Introduce new, more economical and effective production processes, including the production of various items made from polymers, the application of competitive new non-woven fabrics, and the introduction of special fibers and non-woven textile additives.
The three major fibers used for non-woven fabric production are polypropylene fiber (accounting for 62% of the total), polyester fiber (accounting for 24% of the total), and viscose fiber (accounting for 8% of the total). Between 1970 and 1985, viscose fibers were most commonly used in non-woven fabric production. Between 2000 and 2005, the application of polypropylene fiber and polyester fiber began to dominate in the fields of health absorbing materials and pharmaceutical textiles. In the early non-woven fabric production market, the usage of nylon was high. Starting from 1998, the usage of acrylic fiber began to increase, especially in the field of synthetic leather manufacturing.
There are many large-scale projects in various construction projects in China, such as the Three Gorges Project, Xiaolangdi Project, environmental protection project, western development, infrastructure construction, etc., which will greatly promote the consumption of geotextiles, filter materials, waterproof materials, and packaging materials. In addition, the increase in domestic consumer income will also strongly drive the consumption of various hygiene absorbent products, air filtration materials, medical and health products, and labor protection and cultural and sports products. So, there is still great potential for growth in China's non-woven fabric industry in the future.