Demand for P.P.E like gloves, masks, protective gowns has skyrocketed over the last 8 months among hospitals, COVID-19 response teams & people in general. The unprecedented spike in demand has created massive shortages of gloves and masks, which is expected to continue into the year 2021 even as companies struggle to ramp-up production. As hospitals overflow with COVID-19 patients, use of non-woven medical disposables such as bandages, surgical supplies, diagnostic lab disposables, dressings, sterile packaging, overwraps, swabs etc. is witnessing robust gains. The COVID-19 hence presents an unprecedented growth opportunity for spunbond nonwovens in the medical sector. Nonwovens are the optimal material for the N95 masks that are most needed by the front-line medical workers who are treating patients with COVID-19. When built into PPE such as medical face masks, gowns and scrubs, and even foot covers, disposable nonwovens can provide effective and inexpensive protection against microorganisms. In addition to protecting healthcare workers, ordinary citizens are also seeking masks to comply with government mask-wearing mandates and recommendations, which further boosts demand for facemasks. Meltblown nonwovens, which is used as a critical filtration layer in N95 masks and crucial medical supplies, is expected to witness heightened demand. Hygiene manufacturers increasing rely on this fiber to offer benefits such as increased absorbency, softness and hypoallergenic features. Spunbond nonwovens are used for the outer layers of medical masks as they are breathable, protect inner layers and maintain the integrity of the mask due to high strength attribute.
Spunbond is also benefiting from elevated demand for wipes, as the pandemic has driven demand for surface disinfecting wipes and other anti-bacterial skin wipes. Cleaning and disinfecting wipes, based on spunbond and spunlace nonwovens incorporated with a disinfectant solution are expected to be effective against COVID-19.The healthcare industry requires around 89 million medical masks per month to protect the medical staff. These masks are also needed by ordinary citizens for complying with strict government mandates. However, the quick onset of the pandemic across different countries resulted in disruption in supply chains and limited supply of medical masks. The stark shortage of face masks and PPE across countries and extended backlogs prompted manufacturers to work overtime for satiating the demand. As the spread of COVID-19 escalates globally, there are various efforts being undertaken to combat the worldwide shortage of masks and PPE to enhance availability of these masks for frontline healthcare workers, including first responders, medical practitioners, and nurses. China, which held a 50% share of the global face masks production before the emergence of the COVID-19 outbreak, stepped up its production capacity by close to twelve-fold and is now manufacturing close to 115 million masks a month. In addition, various manufacturers in other countries are ramping up overall output of nonwoven healthcare items including face masks at their facilities. Pent-up demand for non-COVID healthcare services is also expected to keep the new found growth momentum into the year 2021 as well.