Breathable Films Market Overview 2021–2030
The global breathable films market size was valued at $3.0 billion in 2020, and is projected to reach $6.7 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 8.4% from 2021 to 2030.
Breathable film is a polymer-based film that is used for moisture control application in diapers and feminine hygiene products. Polyethylene is one of the raw materials used for manufacturing breathable (micro porous) films in the hygiene industry. It is used as barrier films for products such as baby diapers, adult incontinence, and surgical drapes.
The polyethylene-based breathable films exhibit various significant properties such as high permeability, enhanced vapor transmission, high absorbency, and pH stability. The utilization of polyethylene-based breathable films in sectors such as personal care & hygiene, medical, and construction is the key growth factor of the global market. In addition, increase in awareness of hygiene-related activities has augmented the demand for diapers, sanitary pads, and other hygiene products where polyethylene-based breathable films are widely used as a barrier to reduce moisture and risk of skin infections. All these factors collectively surge the demand for breathable films, thereby augmenting the global breathable films market growth.
However, availability of substitutes for breathable films such as diffuser films, moisture barrier films, and waterproof films that possess almost the same characteristics and are available at cheaper rates as compared to breathable films. This has attracted buyers toward purchasing available substitutes, which is likely to restrain the growth of the breathable films market during the forecast period.
On the contrary, increasing purchasing power of consumers and fast-paced lifestyle have boosted the sales of packed food items in both developed and developing economies. According to an article published by the Business Standard, the packed food market in India is expected to double in the upcoming 5-10 years, owing to strong economic growth, increase in penetration of e-commerce platform, and demographic dividend. Furthermore, breathable films act as an excellent barrier for moisture control in packaged food items that enhance their shelf life by keeping them fresh for longer duration. This serves as a key driving force of the global breathable films market.
The global breathable films market analysis is done on the basis of material, technology, end use, and region. Depending on material, the market is divided into polyethylene, polypropylene, and others. On the basis of technology, it is fragmented into monolithic and micro-porous. The end users covered in the study include hygiene & personal care, medical, packaging, construction, textile, and others. Region wise, the market is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA.
The major companies profiled in this report include Mitsui Chemicals, Inc., Arkema, RKW Group, Skymark Packaging Ltd., Trioworld, SWM International, Berry Global Group, Nitto Denko Corporation, Covestro, and Fatra A.S.
Breathable films market, by region
The Asia-Pacific breathable films market accounted for 45.5% of breathable films market share in 2020, and is projected to grow at the highest CAGR of 9.1% during the forecast period. This is attributed to development of the food packaging and textile sectors in Asia-Pacific region. China has the largest food packaging sector in the world. Fueled by the rapid growth in domestic food consumption and consistent growth in the gross domestic product (GDP), the Chinese food packaging industry has grown significantly where breathable films are used for modified atmosphere packaging applications.
By Region
Asia-Pacific would exhibit highest CAGR of 9.1% during 2021-2030.
Breathable films market, by material
In 2020, the polyethylene segment was the largest revenue generator, and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 8.3% during the forecast period. This is attributed to the fact that polyethylene is one of the raw materials used for manufacturing breathable (micro porous) films in the hygiene industry. It is used as barrier films for products such as baby diapers, adult incontinence, and surgical drapes.
By Material
Polypropylene material type is the most lucrative segment
Breathable films market, by technology
By technology, the monolithic segment dominated the global market in 2020, and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 8.6% during forecast period. This is attributed to the fact that the breathable film includes a monolithic core layer (skin layer) that comprises at least one highly breathable polymer and filler. The monolithic breathable film possesses significant properties such as high permeability, strength, excellent vapor transmission, and bacteria & viruses resistance, which make it suitable for a wide range of applications.
By Technology
Monolithic technology type is projected as the fastest growing segment
Breathable films market, by end use
In 2020, the hygiene & personal care segment was the largest revenue generator, and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 8.5% during the forecast period. This is attributed to the fact that micro porous breathable films are widely used in the hygiene & personal care industry as the back sheet layer of various premium sanitary products. It assures the protection of babies or the elderly by eliminating unwanted liquid secretions, but is permeable to gases and water vapors.
By End-use
Medical end-use is projected as the fastest growing segment
Key benefits for stakeholders
- Porter’s five forces analysis helps analyze the potential of buyers & suppliers and the competitive scenario of the industry for strategy building.
- It outlines the current market trends and future estimations of global breathable films market from 2020 to 2030 to understand the prevailing opportunities and potential investment pockets.
- The major countries in the region have been mapped according to their individual revenue contribution to the regional market.
- The key drivers, restraints, and opportunities and their detailed impact analysis are explained in the study.
- The profiles of key players and their key strategic developments are enlisted in the report.
Impact Of Covid-19 On The Global Brethable Films Market
- The novel coronavirus is an incomparable global pandemic that has spread to over 180 countries and caused huge losses of lives and the economy around the globe.
- The breathable films market has been negatively impacted due to the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic owing to its dependence on construction, textile, and manufacturing sports apparel sectors. According to a report published by the Eurostat, construction production in March 2020 declined by 25.4% in the European Union as compared to March 2021.
- In addition, several manufacturing industries have either shut down or shrank their operations due to the risk of infections among the workforce where breathable films are widely used in manufacturing protective industrial garments. This has temporarily hampered the demand for the breathable films market amid the COVID-19 period.
- In addition, the unavailability of inputs and the falling income of customers have decreased the growth of textile sectors. For instance, according to an article published by Fibre2Fashion, the supply chain disruption has led to a 20–30% decline in the export of textiles in 2020.
- Moreover, governments of different countries have implemented restrictions on public gatherings, which, in turn, has temporary suspended all sports events. For instance, according to an article published by ESPN Sports Media, the Shanghai Sports General Association recommended the suspension of all sporting events in the city due to the coronavirus outbreak. This has shrunk the demand for breathable films among the sports apparel sectors for manufacturing breathable jackets, jumpers, and shoe liners.
- However, the medical sector has shown significant growth during the COVID-19 period. For instance, according to a report published by India Brand Equity Foundation, the healthcare sector is expected to reach $372 billion by 2022, driven by rise in health awareness and increase in income. This is expected to boost the demand for breathable films in manufacturing surgical drapes, gowns, gloves, and other medical protection kits amid the COVID-19 scenario.
- Moreover, healthy eating habits have fueled the growth of the food packaging sector during the COVID-19 period where breathable films are widely used in applications such as steam release packaging, microwavable packaging, modified atmosphere packaging, meat & seafood packaging, and rapid-fill packaging.
- Furthermore, the demand for personal care & hygiene products is expected to rise due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic where breathable films are widely used for manufacturing disposable diapers, napkins, and other hygiene products with adjustable breathable properties.
- For instance, according to an article published by the Business Standard, the outbreak of the COVID-19 infection has increased awareness for hygiene & personal care products, and is expected to rise further in the coming days. This is anticipated to increase the sales of breathable films among hygiene & personal care sectors amid the COVID-19 period.
Key market segments
By Material
- Polyethylene
- Polypropylene
- Others
By Technology
- Monolithic
- Micro-porous
By End Use
- Hygiene & Personal Care
- Medical
- Packaging
- Construction
- Textile
- Others
By Region
- North America
- U.S.
- Canada
- Mexico
- Europe
- Germany
- UK
- France
- Italy
- Spain
- Rest of Europe
- Asia-Pacific
- China
- Japan
- India
- South Korea
- Australia
- Rest of Asia-Pacific
- LAMEA
- Brazil
- Saudi Arabia
- South Africa
- Rest of LAMEA
Key players in the global breathable films market are:
- Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.
- Arkema
- RKW Group
- Skymark Packaging Ltd.
- Trioworld
- SWM International
- Berry Global Group
- Nitto Denko Corporation
- Covestro
- Fatra A.S.
Breathable Films Market Report Highlights
| Aspects | Details |
 By MATERIAL |
|
 By TECHNOLOGY |
|
 By END-USE |
|
 By Region |
|
 Key Market Players | Arkema S.A., Trioworld, Mitsui Chemicals, Inc., SWM International, .Berry Global Inc., Nitto Denko Corporation, Skymark Packaging Ltd., Fatra A.S., RKW Group, Covestro A.G. |
Analyst Review
The global breathable films market is expected to exhibit high growth potential, owing to its use in applications such diapers and feminine hygiene products. The polyethylene-based breathable films possess various significant properties such as high permeability, better vapor transmission, high absorbency, and pH stability. The utilization of polyethylene-based breathable films in sectors such as personal care & hygiene, medical, and construction is the key trend in the global market.
Polypropylene is one of the raw materials used for manufacturing nonwoven breathable film for medical sectors. It is ideal for cells, tissues, and bacterial cultures that make it suitable for manufacturing surgical drapes, surgical gloves, micro-porous lab coats, and other medical kits, which is predicted to offer lucrative growth opportunities in future.
The polypropylene-based breathable films exhibits various significant properties such as high permeability, low-temperature flexibility, abrasion resistance, high durability, and pH stability. The utilization of polypropylene-based breathable films in sectors such as medical, textile, and food packaging is the key market trend in the global market. This is not only gaining immense attention in the market but also emerging as a key strategy in terms of gaining additional product demand. Furthermore, surge in incidence of various acute and chronic diseases has increased the sales of medical kits such as gloves and surgical drapes where polypropylene-based breathable films are widely used for retaining moisture. This may act as one of the key drivers for the growth of the breathable films market. Furthermore, increase in customer preference toward specialty performance textile products such as high-altitude clothing and waterproof textiles has forced major textile companies to use propylene-based breathable films to resist moisture, wind, and water vapor permeability. This factor is anticipated to offer new opportunities in the global market.
Rise in demand for breathable films in personal care & hygiene industry and robust growth of healthcare sector are the key factors boosting the breathable films market growth
The global breathable films market was valued at $3.0 billion in 2020, and is projected to reach $6.7 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 8.4% from 2021 to 2030.
Mitsui Chemicals, Inc., Arkema, RKW Group, Skymark Packaging Ltd., Trioworld, SWM International, Berry Global Group, Nitto Denko Corporation, Covestro, and Fatra A.S. are the most established players of the global breathable films market
Hygiene & personal care industry is projected to increase the demand for breathable films Market
The global breathable films market analysis is done on the basis of material, technology, end use, and region. Depending on material, the market is divided into polyethylene, polypropylene, and others. On the basis of technology, it is fragmented into monolithic and micro-porous. The end users covered in the study include hygiene & personal care, medical, packaging, construction, textile, and others. Region wise, the market is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA.
Increasing purchasing power of consumers and fast-paced lifestyle have boosted the sales of packed food items in both developed and developing economies. According to an article published by the Business Standard, the packed food market in India is expected to double in the upcoming 5-10 years, owing to strong economic growth, increase in penetration of e-commerce platform, and demographic dividend. Furthermore, breathable films act as an excellent barrier for moisture control in packaged food items that enhance their shelf life by keeping them fresh for longer duration. Is the Main Driver of breathable films Market
Diapers and surgical drape applications are expected to drive the adoption of breathable films
COVID-19 has impacted negatively on the breathable films market. This is attributed due to • The breathable films market has been negatively impacted due to the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic owing to its dependence on construction, textile, and manufacturing sports apparel sectors. According to a report published by the Eurostat, construction production in March 2020 declined by 25.4% in the European Union as compared to March 2021. • In addition, several manufacturing industries have either shut down or shrank their operations due to the risk of infections among the workforce where breathable films are widely used in manufacturing protective industrial garments. This has temporarily hampered the demand for the breathable films market amid the COVID-19 period. • In addition, the unavailability of inputs and the falling income of customers have decreased the growth of textile sectors. For instance, according to an article published by Fibre2Fashion, the supply chain disruption has led to a 20–30% decline in the export of textiles in 2020. • Moreover, governments of different countries have implemented restrictions on public gatherings, which, in turn, has temporary suspended all sports events. For instance, according to an article published by ESPN Sports Media, the Shanghai Sports General Association recommended the suspension of all sporting events in the city due to the coronavirus outbreak. This has shrunk the demand for breathable films among the sports apparel sectors for manufacturing breathable jackets, jumpers, and shoe liners. • However, the medical sector has shown significant growth during the COVID-19 period. For instance, according to a report published by India Brand Equity Foundation, the healthcare sector is expected to reach $372 billion by 2022, driven by rise in health awareness and increase in income. This is expected to boost the demand for breathable films in manufacturing surgical drapes, gowns, gloves, and other medical protection kits amid the COVID-19 scenario. • Moreover, healthy eating habits have fueled the growth of the food packaging sector during the COVID-19 period where breathable films are widely used in applications such as steam release packaging, microwavable packaging, modified atmosphere packaging, meat & seafood packaging, and rapid-fill packaging. • Furthermore, the demand for personal care & hygiene products is expected to rise due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic where breathable films are widely used for manufacturing disposable diapers, napkins, and other hygiene products with adjustable breathable properties. • For instance, according to an article published by the Business Standard, the outbreak of the COVID-19 infection has increased awareness for hygiene & personal care products, and is expected to rise further in the coming days. This is anticipated to increase the sales of breathable films among hygiene & personal care sectors amid the COVID-19 period.
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