Producers struggled with skyrocketing raw material costs

Raw material price concerns definitely win the prize for the most talked about issue this year among nonwovens industry. Across geographic lines and all segments of the industry, producers struggled with skyrocketing costs and the inability in many cases to pass these costs on to their customers. Many manufacturers concentrated on cost reductions and streamlining production as countermeasures, but the bottom line suffered for many in nonwovens this year.

Poduction

According to statistics from National Bureau of Statistics of China, from January to February, China's nonwovens production rose 37.90 percent from a year earlier to 0.1003 million tons. (See table1).

Table 1. Poduction of China��s Nonwovens by Region (January to February of 2008)

Bans Free Plastic Bags, nonwovens��s new opportunity

The government of China has ordered a ban on the production, sale and use of ultra-thin bags as of June 1. Supermarkets and shops has been banned from giving free plastic bags to customers as of that date, but they can sell the plastic bags. With the implementation of the ban on the plastic bags in June in China, more and more nonwovens packagings such as the eco-friendly reusable bags are needed in the market. With the large demand of the eco-friendly reusable bags, many nonwovens manufacturers have made the eco-friendly reusable bags in large quantities, and many suppliers are getting ready to provide the eco-friendly nonwovens bags of different colors, various patterns and sizes.

Producers Response to China Earthquake

In addition to products given to help relief efforts in the wake of the devastating May 12 earthquake in China's Sichuan Province, China��s industrial textiles and nonwovens industry had donated materials and made financial contributions.

Source: China Nonwovens & Industrial Textiles Association