Industry Insights
Geotextiles is a sub-segment of geosynthetics and is majorly used in soil & foundation reinforcement to avoid/control water & wind erosion. Superior properties including filtration, separation, protection, reinforcement and drainage are one of the key factors driving geotextiles market growth. Multiple functionality; flexible thickness & permeability and cost effectiveness in terms of fabric and labor are other factors augmenting geotextiles market growth. Rapid infrastructure development in BRICS is expected to act as a driver for the geotextiles market. Government initiatives in these countries promoting use in infrastructure is expected to further promote market growth. However, absence of regulations for road construction result in low quality materials used mostly due to lack of awareness regarding geotextiles and their advantages is expected to negatively impact market growth. Minimum Average Roll Value (MARV) and California Bearing Ratio (CBR) implementation for soil mechanical strength evaluation for road construction are potential opportunities for market participants over the forecast period.
Product Insights
Nonwoven geotextiles were the largest product segment, exceeding 60% of global market volume in 2013 owing to use in road construction, erosion control and drainage for easing water flow. Innovation in nonwoven geotextiles usage in drainage sub-systems and long life span of dumps is expected to further augment market growth. Woven geotextiles market is expected to witness growth owing to high tensile strength and good hydro filtration features that help in effective erosion control. Good hydro filtration along with extensive use in soil reinforcement facilitating agriculture and plantation activities contribute to high demand in developed countries.
Application Insights
Road construction accounted for more than 43% of market volume in 2013 becoming the largest application segment. Increasing consumption in road foundations to strengthen weak soil which leads to increased life span is expected to have positive impact on market growth. Erosion control was the second largest application with 470 million square meters of geotextiles volume in 2013. They are increasingly being used for erosion control as they help in holding soil during excessive rainfalls and water encroachments on riverbanks. Growing geotextiles use to prevent soil clogging and material separation from water is expected to promote market growth in drainage applications.
Regional Insights
Asia Pacific was the largest regional market, exceeding 40% of global volume in 2013 owing to high demand from ongoing infrastructure projects in India and China. Indian and Chinese governments have focus on infrastructural developments as part of their 12th five year plans. Infrastructural developments in China and India are expected to augment market growth over the forecast period. Growing geotextiles demand in drainage systems and road construction in North American and European developed countries is expected to augment market growth over the forecast period. Brazilian government’s inclination towards of domestic infrastructure sector improvement is expected to have significant impact on market growth. Upcoming events such as Summer Olympics 2016 in Brazil are expected to promote construction activities, and propel geotextiles market growth in near future.
