Protective Clothing Market Outlook - 2027
The global protective clothing market was valued at $8.7 billion in 2019, and is projected to reach $12.0 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 6.0% from 2020 to 2027.
Protective clothing provides protection from hazardous or risky conditions that can be life frightening. They are developed to safeguard the worker from coming in contact with unfavorable elements of the working environment. Based on the industry, industrial protective wear can be heat repellent, chemical resistant, cold resistant, mechanical resistant, and others.
The protective clothing market is expected to grow, owing to rise in concerns regarding the safety of workers around various sectors. With rapidly increasing industrialization, the awareness among the workers for safety is also on a rise. All the industries demand protective clothing on a big scale due to increase in complexities and hazardous environment. Stringent safety regulations across industrial sectors boost the market growth among different end-use industries such as construction and oil & gas. For example, workers in oil & gas industry are exposed to fire, explosion, and harmful chemicals. Therefore, theindustries require protective clothingto protect them. Increase in end-user industries across various regions and stringent safety regulations across various industries are expected to boost the growth of the protective clothing market during the forecast period.
In addition, R&D is an investment in technology and future capabilities, which is transformed into new products, processes, and services. Increase in consumer preference toward fabrics, which are protective, fashionable, and providecomfort leads to the innovation of new fabrics in the market. Thus, continuous R&D initiatives undertaken in the protective clothing market are expected to boost the sales. R&D initiatives along with product innovation are expected to open new avenues for protective clothing in various end-user industries and thus would drive the market growth during the forecast period. This factor is expected to have high to moderate impact during the forecast period.
However, factors such as high investment in R&D activities and high prices of protective clothing are anticipated to hinder the protective clothing market growth. Furthermore, the COVID-19 outbreak has negatively impacted the demand for protective clothing, as it has decreased the industrial activities all over the globe. The high price of protective clothing is one of the major factors that hinder the growth of the protective clothing market. This is attributed to use of high-performance fabrics along with various test methods and standards. For example, manufacturing of multipurpose protective clothing requires different materials to be blended with each other, which is an expensive method. Multipurpose protective clothing is the specialized clothing that provides protection against multiple hazards. Specialized protective clothingalso involves high cost of investment during the initial R&D activities. High cost of specialized fabrics such as aramids and expensive method is a major threat in the growth of the protective clothing market globally. This factor is expected to have highto moderate impact on the growth of the protective clothing market.
On the contrary some of the positives of COVID-19 outbreak on the market are upsurge in demand from pharmaceutical sectors, owing to rise in R&D activities for vaccine development. Emerging economies such as India, China, South Korea, and Brazil experience rapid industrialization. Building and construction, oil & gas, and chemical industries boom in these regions, which could provide an opportunity in the growth of the protective clothing market during the forecast period. Increase in investment by the key players in the market due to rise in governmental regulations is alsoexpected toprovidean opportunity in the growth of the protective clothing market. In addition, the growth of the overall GDP in the country, rise in income levels, and changes in consumer consumption preferences further stimulate the demand of protective clothing in China. Rapid industrialization in the emerging economies provides an opportunity in the growth of the protective clothing market. This factor is expected to have moderate to high impact on the growth of the global protective clothing market during the forecast period.
The protective clothing market is expected to grow, owing to rise in concerns regarding the safety of workers around various sectors. However, factors such as high investment in R&D activities and high prices of protective clothing are anticipated to hinder the protective clothing market growth. Furthermore, the COVID-19 outbreak has negatively impacted the demand for protective clothing, as it has decreased the industrial activities all over the globe. On the contrary some of the positives of COVID-19 outbreak on the market are upsurge in demand from pharmaceutical sectors, owing to rise in R&D activities for vaccine development.
The protective clothing market is segmented on the basis of material type, application, and region. By material type, the market is divided into aramid & blends, polyolefin & blends, polybenzimidaloe (PBI), cotton fibers, laminated polyesters, and others. On the basis of application, it is divided into thermal, mechanical, chemical, biological/radiation, and others. On the basis of end-use industry, the market is studied across oil & gas, construction &manufacturing, pharmaceuticals/medical military &defense, firefighting, and others. Region wise, the market is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA. The protective clothing market share is analyzed for all segments and regions.
The protective clothing market analysis covers in-depth information of the major industry participants. Some of the major players in the protective clothing market include DuPont, Lakeland Industries, Inc., Ballyclare Limited, 3M Company, Koninklijke Ten Cate NV, Teijin Limited, VF Corporation, Cetriko S.L., W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc., and Glen Raven Inc.
Other players in the value chain of the protective clothing market include Lion Apparel Inc., Globe Manufacturing Co. LLC, PBI Performance Product Inc., Workrite Uniform Company Inc., Logistik Unicorp Inc, VF Imagewear, Inc., Globus Ltd., Kermel Industries, Newtex Industries, Inc., Hydrowear B.V., Protective Industrial Products, Inc., Alpha Pro Tech, Ltd., Radians, Inc., National Safety Apparel, and others.
The key players are adopting numerous strategies such as product launch, business expansion, acquisition, partnership, collaboration, and agreement to stay competitive in the protective clothing market.
For instance, Lakeland industries launched a new line of apparel named Linemen. It offers exceptional athletic fit with high-performance fire resistance (FR) attributes, breathability & moisture-wicking technology, multi-weight fabrics for optimal layering effectiveness, and others. This product launch enhanced company’s current product layering system specifically designed for electrical utility linemen.
Furthermore, Dupont invested in TyvekTogether program to increase its production of Tyvek and Tychem garments. The TyvekTogether capacity expansion program will increase company’s production to 15 million garments per month from 9 million garments per month. This will further increase company’s market size globally.
Protective Clothing Market, by Material Type
By material type, the aramid & blends segment has garnered highest share in the market in 2019. Aramids are widely used for protective clothing as it has excellent mechanical properties as compared to steel or glass fiber of same weight, and also resistant to heat and flame. Aramids are widely used for protective clothing as it has excellent mechanical properties as compared to steel or glass fiber of same weight, and also resistant to heat and flame. Properties such as high strength to weight ratio, abrasion resistance, fire resistance, and heat resistance make it viable for a wide range of industries such as textiles, aviation, automotive, and electronic. For example, Japan developed Aramid systems for seismic retrofit of railway and highway bridge columns. In January 2015, Teijin Limited launched new para-aramid fiber, Teijinconex neo, having high heat resistance and excellent dyeability. In 2016, Teijin Limited also launched Hi-VIS protective apparel manufactured by aramid fiber. Increased concern regarding thermal protective clothing drives the market of aramid fibers as these are highly resistant to heat & flame. Heat resistant clothes are generally made up of Nomex, Kevlar, PBI, FR Rayon, Kermel, P84, and pre-oxidized PAN-based fibers. Rapid industrialization in emerging markets such as China, India, Thailand, and Indonesia also drives the market growth in the protective clothing market. Furthermore, the global rise in the infrastructure sector could provide significant growth opportunities for aramid fibers in the global protective clothing market as these fibers provide high tolerance to damage and high impact resistance beneficial in strengthening bridge support and masonry walls.
By Material Type
Aramid & Blends is projected as the most lucrative segment.
Protective Clothing Market, by Application
By application, the thermal segment garnered the highest share in the market in 2019, owing to increase in demand for durable and breathable flame-resistant clothing from various sectors. In addition, stringent fire safety regulations and guidelines for minimizing fire hazard in the industrial space also boost the demand for thermal protective clothing market across the world. Fire hazard is most pervasive and devastating, which necessitates the need for thermal protective clothing. A fabric is considered as fire-resistant if it can be constantly used at a temperature more than 200 degree Celsius, without losing its physical characteristics and have a limited oxygen index greater than 20. Thermal protective wear should also meet several characteristics such as fire resistance, oil repellant, easy cleanability, fabric integration, and should be comfortable as well. Different fibers can be used for thermal protective wear such as aramid fibers, polybenzimidazole, polyamide-imide, phenolic fiber, and semi carbon fibers. For example, Nomex an aramid fiber manufactured by DuPont does not melt and have a good thermal resistance. Nomex fabrics are generally used in firefighter suits. Fireman’s multilayer outfit, turncoat, pants generally have an outer layer of Nomex or Kevlar.
By Application
Thermal is projected as the most lucrative segment.
Protective Clothing Market, by End-Use Industry
By end-use industry, the pharmaceutical/medical segment is expected to be the fastest growing end-use industry for protective clothing. Increase in standards of medical hygiene has triggered the need for protective clothing across the globe in this sector. The growth in need for safe & protective medical treatments drives the market for protective clothing in this end-use sector. Thus, the growth in end-use industry and an increase in demand for safe medical treatments are some of the major growth drivers of the protective fabrics market in the pharmaceutical industry. The pharmaceutical sector is significant industry in this pandemic situation and it is operating under safety policies. The workforce has moderately increased in the pharmaceutical sector as the demand for various products such as vitamin tablets is increasing, owing to rise in awareness about improving or enhancing immunity. In addition, increase in R&D activities for COVID-19 vaccine fuels the demand for protective clothing in the pharmaceutical sector. However, during the initial stage of COVID-19 outbreak, the medical industry faced critical shortage of protective clothing. In March 2020, large number of hospitals in the U.S. reported shortage of protective clothing. Additionally, the lack of adequate protective clothing for frontline became a major issue in medical sector. China is one of the major exporters of face masks across the globe. However, the medical sector across different countries witnessed significant shortage due to supply chain disruption, which negatively impacted the market growth.
By End-use Industry
Pharmaceutical/Medical is projected as the most lucrative segment.
Protective Clothing Market, by Region
Region wise, Asia-Pacific is the fastest growing region, owing to presence of emerging countries such as China, India, Japan, and others in the region, where industrial activities are expected to boom in the coming years. This factor will correspondingly surge the adoption of protective clothing during the forecast period. North America has garnered highest share in the market in 2019, owing to rise in stringent regulation for safety of workers across sectors such as oil & gas, construction, and others.
By Region
Asia-Pacific holds a dominant position in 2019 and would continue to maintain the lead over the forecast period.
Key Benefits For Stakeholders
- The protective clothing market forecast is studied from 2020 to 2027.
- The report provides an in-depth analysis of the market along with the current and future market trends.
- This report highlights the key drivers, opportunities, and restraints of the market along with the impact analysis during the forecast period.
- Porter’s five forces analysis helps analyze the potential of buyers & suppliers and the competitive scenario of the industry for strategy building.
- The qualitative data in this report aims on market dynamics, protective clothing market trends, and developments.
- A comprehensive analysis of the factors that drive and restrain the market growth is provided.
- The protective clothing market size is provided in terms of revenue.
Impact of COVID-19 on the protective clothing market
- The novel Corona virus has affected majority of the sectors in the world, the oil & gas industry is also affected by the outbreak. The decreasing prices of petroleum products lead to decreasing profit for investors, which has resulted in job loss.
- Between March and August 2020, the U.S. oil & gas industry witnessed around 107,000 layoffs, which largely affected the market demand for protective clothing. This correspondingly decreased the demand for protective clothing in the oil & gas sector.
- The novel Corona virus has spread all across the world, which includes the major oil & gas producing countries as well as major importing countries. Oil & gas is an essential sector for living, owing to which this sector is operating in shifts and low to moderate workers.
Protective Clothing Market Report Highlights
| Aspects | Details |
 By Material |
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 By Application |
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 By End Use Industry |
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 By Region |
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 Key Market Players | BALLYCLARE LIMITED, GLEN RAVEN INC., LAKELAND INDUSTRIES, INC., DUPONT, TEIJIN LTD., KONINKLIJKE TEN CATE NV, 3M COMPANY, W. L. GORE & ASSOCIATES INC., CETRIKO S.L., VF CORPORATION |
Analyst Review
The factors that drive the demand for protective clothing in various end-use industries include increase in concern toward safety of workers coupled with stringent governmental regulations, continuous growth in demand for protective clothing from various industries and extensive investments in R&D—which leads to development of new products and makes way for new applications; thereby, boosting the market growth.
However, factors such as high price of protective clothing and a constant threat of substitution are expected to hamper the market growth during the forecast period. A growth in the penetration of protective clothing in industries such as oil & gas and pharmaceuticals will provide significant opportunities to the industry players across the value chain. Furthermore, an increase in demand from emerging economies such as India, China, South Korea, and Brazil are expected to drive the future growth.
Moreover, the COVID-19 has led to budget cut from some of the sectors such as firefighting department which resulted in layoffs in many countries. Furthermore, some of the industries such as construction has faced problems such as delayed or cancellation in final investment decision. This led to layoff of workers. This consequently decreased the demand for protective clothing.
The market size of the global protective clothing market is $8.7 billion in 2019.
Lakeland Industries Inc, Dupont, VF Corporation, Teijin Limited are some of the top players in the protective clothing market
Pharmaceutical/Medical is expected increase the demand for protective clothing market
The demand for versatile high performance clothing with high chemical as well as mechanical resistance, high performance medical protective clothing are some of the emerging trends in the protective clothing market,
On the basis of material type, the polybenzimidaloe (PBI) is most influencing segment in the global protective clothing market.
On the basis of application biological/radiation is leading segment in the protective clothing market.
Research and development activities in pharmaceutical sector, upsurge in the need of medicines are some of the factors anticipated to drive the adoption of protective clothing.
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