The Absorbent Hygiene Industry in North America: 2006-2011

INDA has just released The Absorbent Hygiene Industry in North America, a report on the current absorbent hygiene industry, with forecast growth and trends over the coming five years through 2011. The in-depth study reviews the key absorbent hygiene segments: baby diapers, training pants, feminine care and adult incontinence (consumer and institutional).

Among the study’s findings:

• The North American (U.S. and Canada combined) absorbent hygiene industry is a key nonwoven industry with retail sales to end-users of close to $11 billion.
• The rising birth rate, graying baby boom population and expanding usage of feminine care products combine with low market penetration in a number of key hygiene product categories to drive the forecast growth.
• This industry’s retail sales to end-users are forecast to expand by over $1 billion between 2006 and 2011.

North America’s baby diaper retail sales to end-users have remained relatively static at $4 billion annually for several years due to the static birth rate. But America’s population demographics continue to evolve and as baby boomers’ children start their own families the baby diaper and training pant markets are forecast to increase by close to 10% from 2006 to 2011.

The report also forecasts a significant increase in consumption of adult incontinence products over the coming years. America’s baby boomer generation is aging and now starting to enter the period of life where incontinence products are required. Furthermore, the 65-and-older age group is living longer — an increasingly important factor in the aging of the two nations: U.S. and Canada. This expanding population of elderly will drive retail and institutional sales of incontinence products to the number two position market segment behind baby diapers.

The production of absorbent hygiene products during 2006 consumed $800 million of nonwoven coverstock materials. The rising demand of hygiene products is forecast to raise nonwoven consumption by more than 1.5 billion square meters by 2011. Currently more than 90% of nonwoven coverstock was produced by the spunbonded polypropylene and spunbonded/meltblown polypropylene composite technologies. These technologies will retain their dominant position and expand further as absorbent baby diapers switch from paper core wrap to nonwovens. The report anticipates that demand for airlaid pulp nonwoven will rise by an estimated 40% by 2011 as these materials expand into the adult incontinence, and possibly baby diaper core area.

This detailed report provides an in-depth study of baby diapers, training pants, feminine care and adult incontinence products and forecasts growth through 2011.

INDA’s mission is to promote the growth and profitability of the nonwovens industry. It is also our role to serve the worldwide interests of our many members and consumers of the industries’ products. To that end, we are publishing this report on the North American Nonwovens industry to provide a benchmark of the industry’s position at the beginning of the 21st century and its outlook for growth.