Editorial: Man-Made Fibers International

Manmade Fiber Industry on Its Way to Future-Proof Material

The world fiber demand in the century has developed three times faster than population growth. Dynamics were decisively enabled by the breathtaking development of synthetic fibers, the remarkable recovery of viscose staple fibers and surging lyocell production. In contrast, natural fibers slowly advanced and reached a plateau in recent years that is not expected to experience significant growth with given technology.

Latest data from The Fiber Year 2024 reveal last year’s expansions of polyester, cellulosics and in the group of small-scale but sophisticated fibers comprising aramid, carbon and spandex.

Polyester, the by far largest segment, managed to further grow but at below-average rate whereas cellulosic staple fibers enjoyed faster growth, considerably pushed by stunning acceleration of lyocell supply. Double-digit growth was visible in sophisticated fibers with multiple carbon fiber projects across the world to add more than 50% to today’s capacity within the next 4 years.

The dominant role of polyester with almost 60% share in the fiber market is boon and bane at the same time. Its low price made apparel affordable and its versatility allowed to open up markets that used to be relying on other fiber materials. The extremely price-sensitive garment chain has been forerunner for massive investments in polyester leading to insuperable economies of scale. Inter-fiber competition has clearly evolved into a triumphal march for polyester at the expense of all other synthetics.

Drastic changes also occurred during quota-free period in the manufacturing landscape with about 20% of synthetic fibers produced in Europe and North America in 2005 of which around 5% are left at present. Meanwhile, eight of ten kilograms polyester are China-made and Chinese exports are well on their way to account for double the volume the world outside Asia is manufacturing.

The global fiber market comprising three quarters of manmade fibers will continue to grow driven by population growth, adding 1.8 billion consumers by 2050, new applications and prosperity. It took the world 2000 years to achieve a consumption level of around 60 million tonnes that doubled in less than 20 years. Approximate dynamics in future are not conceivable and slowing population growth contradict considerations. Nevertheless, expansions in the mid tens of million tonnes are expected to become reality and polyester quantity has almost quadrupled in the century.

It is not only increasingly challenging to produce zillions of garment pieces of which a considerable amount never makes it to the shelves of a store but steadily elevating the amount of waste. Waste we have not seen with our eyes in decades but that has become apparent in oceans and a number of picturesque places that became the heart of unwanted plastics.

It is high time for a concerted action when we acknowledge the negative impact on human health and environment from production, use and disposal of clothing made from synthetic fabrics. Extra efforts should be made from governments, manufacturers and consumers.

The European Commission aims, by 2030, to have textile products placed on the EU market that are long-lived, recyclable and to a great extent made from recycled fibers. What about the political support for the multiple recycling projects in the area that all have disadvantages in economy of scale compared with the traditional petrochemical route?

Manufacturers across the globe are in the process of investing multi-billion dollars in recycling facilities. Time will tell which technologies are most suitable to compete with producers processing virgin material.

In addition, apparel manufacturing should break new ground in the design of clothes in terms of fiber composition and length, fabric density and finishing treatments. Those factors determine the amount of microfibers that will break free during washing and facilitate sorting accuracy and finally recycling.

Moreover, retrofitting of laundry machines with a microfiber-catching device may help to prevent fibers entering the environment.

Consumers are most powerful to reduce microplastic losses. However, the awareness for the impact from a simple piece of garment apparently has not yet broadly arrived. It is not reasonable to expect a textile expertise across the board but the predominant buying factor still appears to be the price at the point of sale instead of sustainability. How else to explain booming sales for the fast fashion industry?

This attitude of mostly young consumers prefers the mass production of low-cost fashion, essentially shiny, flashy and highly topical clothing to wear once or twice before rapidly discarding. In former times it was rather like the German-language short story “Clothes Make the Man” by Swiss Gottfried Keller published 150 years ago. The plot is about a penniless tailor who – because of the luxurious suit he has made for himself – is mistaken for a young lord when arriving in a new town which leads to several misapprehensions.

To make it absolutely clear, synthetics are indispensable and made our life easier, safer and more convenient, enabled new applications and do not depend on cultivable acreage which could otherwise be used for food production. It is completely unrealistic to claim phasing plastic out of fashion. We are short of alternatives to replace more than 50 million tonnes of textile filaments at present. Natural fibers will simply not find enough crop area. The staggering upward trend of wood-based cellulosics, offering outstanding wearing properties, continues to be in full swing but volumes are also not sufficient.

Let us not condemn oil-based fibers. We know what to do in order to benefit from the advantages of synthetic fibers with simultaneous protection of our planet. We may not slacken our joint efforts to make the early 1940s discovery of polyester a future-proof fiber under today’s policy.