The Japan Chemical Fibers Association reported that the nation’s production of man-made fibers in 2018 decreased by 2.3% from the previous year to 881,298 tons. Of this, synthetic fibers declined by 2.7% to 698,219 tons, and cellulosic fibers were down 0.7% to 183,079 tons.
Production of the four major fiber varieties was: nylon filament, 89,650 tons (down 7.2%); acrylic staple fiber, 124,110 tons (up 3.2%); polyester filament, 117,748 tons (down 2.7%); and polyester staple fiber, 82,712 tons (down 10.8%).