According to statistics released by the Japanese Ministry of Finance and Japan Customs, the nation’s exports of filament nonwoven fabrics in 2018 increased by 8.6% over the previous year to 25,942 tons, and those of staple fiber nonwoven fabrics grew by 10.6% to 34,416 tons.
Both exports of filament and staple fiber nonwovens increased for the third consecutive year.
Exports of polyester filament types rose 9.7% to 13,991 tons and accounted for 54% of total filament nonwoven fabric exports. Items in the class weighing between more than 70 gsm and 150 gsm accounted for 40%, but the growth was no more than 2.1% because exports to the main Chinese market dropped 25.8%. Meanwhile, items weighing over 150 gsm climbed 24.9% thanks to the 51.6% growth in exports to China.
Exports of nylon filament types jumped 25.6%. Exports of polypropylene filament types increased by 3.7%, and those of other filament types were up 7.2%.
2018 exports of polyester staple fiber types grew by 17.3% to 18,878 tons, and accounted for 55% of total staple fiber nonwoven fabric exports. Items in the class weighing between more than 70 gsm and 150 gsm occupied the largest bulk and rose by 23.3%. Exports of nylon/polyamide staple fiber types rose by 3.5%, while those of polypropylene staple fiber types fell 26.7%. Exports of other staple fiber types grew by 8.7%.