Mark Snider, Chief Market and Industry Analyst, INDA04.04.24
INDA has a revived mission and a new theme, “Nonwovens for a Healthier Planet,” for the IDEA25 show in Miami April 29–May 1, 2025. With sustainability on everyone’s mind, INDA has adopted it as its primary focus from this point forward for the foreseeable future.
This new sustainability focus is also being carried forward by all INDA departments to promote our sustainable objectives which are comprised of three pillars.
The long-life durables market is significant. As you can see from the Figure IIIB, long-life durables represent important market segments.
The long-life durables markets include (but are not limited to) Automotive (vehicles in general), Building Construction, Home & Office Furnishings, Geosynthetics (which includes Agrotextiles), Apparel, and various other smaller durable markets. These markets have always been more elusive to track than disposable markets due mostly to the fact that the fibers, fabrics and materials are used in composite applications. We have found that many composite material suppliers often do not even know that they are using nonwoven materials in their products. It will be our mission going forward to educate the industry on these growing markets and products.
In addition to our IDEA25 theme and push toward sustainability, the INDA Market Intelligence Department has increased its coverage and support for the long-life durables markets. We have been gathering additional market data for our already extensive database and are attending various long-life shows and conferences to get our message out to the industry.
Most recently, INDA attended the JEC Composites show in Paris, France, March 5–7 and met with more than 150 company representatives and promoted nonwovens as a serious player in the composite market segments. The JEC show hosted 1400 exhibitors and had more than 40,000 visitors. In addition, INDA attended the ISPA Show in Columbus, OH, which focuses on the sleep products industry.
Our other conference attendance for 2024 includes:
Carding, needlepunch, composite laminations, wetlaid and airlaid are some of the technologies which contribute to this important market segment. These technologies use staple fibers which can incorporate any number of natural as well as manmade fibers. Composite applications are the key here as new technologies are being developed every day.
The INDA Market Intelligence Department will further support long-life durables markets by releasing a Long-Life Durables Report and a Sustainability Report later this year.
Long-life fibers and fabrics will be utilized in greater quantities in the coming years, as they highlight the technological improvements that will make our lives better and support a healthier planet. n
Mark Snider is the chief market and industry analyst for INDA, Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry. He can be reached at: msnider@inda.org.
This new sustainability focus is also being carried forward by all INDA departments to promote our sustainable objectives which are comprised of three pillars.
- Responsible Sourcing
- Innovations in Sustainability
- End-of-Life Solutions
The long-life durables market is significant. As you can see from the Figure IIIB, long-life durables represent important market segments.
The long-life durables markets include (but are not limited to) Automotive (vehicles in general), Building Construction, Home & Office Furnishings, Geosynthetics (which includes Agrotextiles), Apparel, and various other smaller durable markets. These markets have always been more elusive to track than disposable markets due mostly to the fact that the fibers, fabrics and materials are used in composite applications. We have found that many composite material suppliers often do not even know that they are using nonwoven materials in their products. It will be our mission going forward to educate the industry on these growing markets and products.
In addition to our IDEA25 theme and push toward sustainability, the INDA Market Intelligence Department has increased its coverage and support for the long-life durables markets. We have been gathering additional market data for our already extensive database and are attending various long-life shows and conferences to get our message out to the industry.
Most recently, INDA attended the JEC Composites show in Paris, France, March 5–7 and met with more than 150 company representatives and promoted nonwovens as a serious player in the composite market segments. The JEC show hosted 1400 exhibitors and had more than 40,000 visitors. In addition, INDA attended the ISPA Show in Columbus, OH, which focuses on the sleep products industry.
Our other conference attendance for 2024 includes:
- Techtextil, Frankfurt, Germany, April 23-26
- Geo-Americas, April 28-May 1, Toronto, Canada
- FedTex, May 14-15, Raleigh, NC
- WOW, June 17-20, Minneapolis, MN
- Techtextil NA, August 20-24, Raleigh, NC
- ACCE, September 4-6, Novi, MI
- RISE, October 1-2, Raleigh, NC
- The Battery Show, October 8-10, Detroit, MI
- Hygienix, November 18-21, Nashville, TN
Carding, needlepunch, composite laminations, wetlaid and airlaid are some of the technologies which contribute to this important market segment. These technologies use staple fibers which can incorporate any number of natural as well as manmade fibers. Composite applications are the key here as new technologies are being developed every day.
The INDA Market Intelligence Department will further support long-life durables markets by releasing a Long-Life Durables Report and a Sustainability Report later this year.
Long-life fibers and fabrics will be utilized in greater quantities in the coming years, as they highlight the technological improvements that will make our lives better and support a healthier planet. n
Mark Snider is the chief market and industry analyst for INDA, Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry. He can be reached at: msnider@inda.org.
