According to production statistics released from the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry (METI), the nation’s production of nonwoven fabrics in 2017 increased by 0.7% over the previous year to 342,099 tons.
Production increased for all major types except for spunbondeds, of which a portion of production was moved overseas.
The production of spunbonded/meltblown nonwovens decreased by 3.3% to 103,277 tons. Meanwhile, the production of needlepunched nonwovens sharply grew by 9.9% to 72,553 tons, along with that of spunlaceds by 8.3% to 47,673 tons, thanks to vigorous demand for application in automotives, cosmetics and daily commodities.