Disposable Protective Clothing Market by Type (Polypropylene, Polyethylene, Polyester, and Others), Application (Chemical, Biological, Mechanical, Thermal, and Others), End-use (Healthcare, Manufacturing, Food Processing, and Construction), and Regional Analysis (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021–2028

Global Disposable Protective Clothing Market Analysis

The global disposable protective clothing market size was $3,546.0 million in 2020 and is predicted to grow with a CAGR of 5.9%, by generating a revenue of $5,844.7 million by 2028.

Market Synopsis

Disposable protective clothing market is gaining huge popularity owing to increase in the demand from medical and food service due to COVID-19 outbreak. Increasing focus on health and safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 virus is estimated to drive the demand for disposable protective clothing market. Stricter safety standards and regulations imposed by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the regulatory agency of United States, to ensure protection and safety of workers & employers has led to an increase in the demand for disposable protective clothing. These protective coveralls protect the workers from various chemical, mechanical, thermal, electrical, and other hazards which is crucial for the workers working in hazardous environments such as mining, oil & gas, and other sectors.

However, excessive production of disposable protective clothing undermines the health and sustainability goals, as majority of them are made from plastic which continues our dependency on fossil fuels. Such disposable protective clothing continues to harm the environment and our health due to incineration and landfill, that lead to carbon emission. Also, these products persist for hundreds of years due to toxic chemicals that pollute soil and water.

Technological innovations in disposable coveralls such as use of antimicrobial scrubs, smarterials technology, and others are estimated to drive the disposable body suit market growth. For instance, Aegle Gear, the manufacturer of healthcare apparel platform, introduced antimicrobial scrubs for medical staff. For instance, during pandemic, gown or coveralls need to be used in addition to scrubs, to provide protection from bacteria, microbes, and viruses. Aegle Gear has launched antimicrobial and water repellant scrubs for medical professionals which are obtained by treating the scrubs with Protx2. The Protx2 is eco-friendly zinc-based technology, that controls microbial growth for long time which is anticipated to drive the demand for disposable protective clothing market during the forecast period. 

According to regional analysis, the Asia-Pacific disposable protective clothing market accounted for $1,217.3 million in 2020 and is predicted to grow with a CAGR of 6.4% in the projected timeframe.

Disposable Protective Clothing Market Overview

Disposable protective clothing comes under personal protective equipment, designed to ensure workers’ safety and to protect them against environmental hazards such as dirt and outside contaminants. These coveralls are one pieces and have loose fittings, with sleeves, hood to cover head, full leggings, and overshoe pieces to cover footwear which facilitate ease of movement. Various materials used for manufacturing disposable protective clothing includes polypropylene, polymer, polyester, polyethylene breathable film, and others. In industrial sector, the use of disposable protective clothing shields the frontline workers from hazardous contaminants such as chemicals, infective agents, liquid jets, and others. Some of the key advantages of disposable coveralls include antistatic ability, full protection from contaminants & chemicals, and help in maintaining sterile environments.

Impact Analysis of COVID-19 on the Global Disposable Protective Clothing Market

The global crisis caused by COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected most of the industries across various countries. However, the global disposable protective market experienced positive impact owing to drastic increase in the demand for disposable protective clothing from healthcare & medical sector. For instance, as stated in December 2020, in IFC.org, member of the World Bank Group, the production and demand for medical personal protective equipment (PPE) including clothing increased by at least 300%, as many countries across the world are badly hit by the pandemic. Higher usage of disposable coveralls by all workers around COVID-19 patients is driving the demand and putting strain on scarce PPE resources. Surge in number of COVID-19 patients is leading to huge demand for examination gloves. In addition, there has been high demand disposable protective clothing in non-medical sectors such as beauty salons, spas, food & beverage sector, testing labs, waste management sector, and others. Moreover, manufacturers are struggling to scale up their production capacities and address the shortage of PPEs. For instance, DuPont, leading protective apparel manufacturer, has doubled the production of gowns, and 3M, well-known manufacturer of disposable protective coveralls, has increased the production of face shield by ten-fold. These factors have created a positive impact on the growth and demand for disposable protective clothing market.   

Various government initiatives such as increasing the production of protective coveralls to meet the global demand is helping society to recover from the chaotic situation. For instance, on March 3, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO), specialized agency responsible for international public health, called on industries and government for increasing the manufacturing of PPE by 40% to meet the growing demand for PPE and to prevent panic buying, misuse, and hoarding of the same which can put the lives at risk from coronavirus. In addition, WHO has stated that government of each country must develop incentives for the PPE manufacturers to ramp up manufacturing along with easing the export restrictions, so that these supplies will be available to various countries that will help them in containing the spread of COVID-19 virus. Furthermore, startup companies and local manufacturers are playing a crucial role in meeting the demand for medical supplies. For instance, as stated on December 31, 2020, in The Department of Science & Technology, which focuses on promotion of science & technology, various technology-based startup companies namely Saral Design Solutions, world’s first manufacturer of fully automatic sanitary napkin making machine, have started the production of 3 ply surgical masks. Many such local manufacturers and startup companies have played a vital role in transforming India from importer of PPEs to second largest manufacturer of PPEs.  

Increase in Manufacturing and Rising Awareness Regarding Safety to Drive the Market Growth

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected every aspect of life and functioning of businesses across the world leading to supply-chain disruptions. Along with medical sector, food & beverage industry and industrial sector needed robust and resilient personal protective equipment including protective clothing to defeat the virus. Along with leading protective clothing manufacturers, the independent contract sewers also started the manufacturing of disposable protective clothing to meet the global demand. In addition, growing safety concerns among numerous workers to reduce the risk of long-term or short-term health hazards is driving the demand for disposable protective clothing market. For instance, personal protective equipment prevents the spread of harmful germs, bacteria, and virus from one person to another. For instance, dentists use protective gear to keep harmful bacteria away from their dental instruments. Hence, the use of disposable protective clothing reduces the risk of cross contamination, health issues, improves the health of workers, and promotes safe and secure work environment.  

To know more about global disposable protective clothing market drivers, get in touch with our analysts here.

Increase in Consumption and Disposal of Single Use Products is Predicted to Hamper Market Growth  

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in the demand, consumption, and disposal of single-use products such as protecting clothing, masks, respirators, and others. For instance, as stated on March 29, 2021, in the Norham-europe.org, which works to transform healthcare globally, the consumption of single-use apron has grown by 550% in 2020. Increase in use of disposable protective clothing continues to harm the environment as it leads to carbon emission during incinerator and increases the dependence on fossil fuel. 

Innovations in Disposable Protective Clothing Market to Generate Enormous Opportunities

The latest innovations in disposable protective clothing market such as disposable PPE, double gloving, gloves with perforation indicators, and others to generate huge opportunities in the market. For instance, disposable PPE developed by Eagle Protect, the US-based startup, offers protection against various diseases such as yellow fever, H1N1, COVID-19 virus, West Nile virus, and others. Eagle Protect manufactures disposable PPE such as aprons, disposable smocks, jackets, hats, beard covers, and others for food processing industry to ensure food safety. In addition, the surgical gloves developed by Smarterials Technology, German-based startup company, offer double gloving that is recommended by WHO, during handling the COVID-19 patients. Single gloves can get damaged by disinfectants and workers are likely to face the risk of needle-stick injuries. Hence, double gloving offered by this company minimizes discomfort and tactile sensation. Such innovations in disposable protective clothing market are anticipated to generate huge growth opportunities during the forecast period. 

To know more about global disposable protective clothing market opportunities, get in touch with our analysts here.

Source: Research Dive Analysis

The polyethylene sub-type is anticipated to have a dominant market share and generate a revenue of $2,511.1 million by 2028, growing from $1,470.4 million in 2020. Polyethylene is widely used in the manufacturing of disposable protective clothing owing to excellent durability, cheaper price, and its light weight. The polyethene material is waterproof and has fluid resistant properties that protect the wearer from chemicals and biological hazards. In addition, the low-density polyethylene (LDPE) has low tensile strength but high resilience and it is not reactive at room temperatures. Due to this, polyethylene is highly resistant to various acids, alcohols. and bases and is used in the manufacturing of disposable gloves, packaging foam, and others.

Source: Research Dive Analysis

The chemical sub-segment is anticipated to have a dominant market share and generate a revenue of $1,769.8 million by 2028, growing from $1,042.3 million in 2020. This is majorly owing to the increase in demand for disposable protective clothing from oil & gas industry where the workers are exposed to toxic chemicals & hazardous gas fumes. In such cases, the protective clothing is considered as line of defense for any chemical-handling operations. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the U.S.-based government agency, is responsible to ensure the workplace safety to protect the workers from various workplace hazards. The use of disposable protective clothing in chemicals sector offers protection to the workers from getting in contact with toxic chemicals.

Source: Research Dive Analysis

The healthcare sub-segment is anticipated to have a dominant market share and generate a revenue of $2,360.0 million by 2028, growing from $1,376.9 million in 2020. The demand for disposable protective clothing in healthcare sector is driven by increase in coronaviruses cases across the globe. All the workers in medical and healthcare sector were asked to wear personal protective equipment to prevent the spread of COVID-19 virus. In addition, the PPE manufacturers across the globe have ramped up their production of PPE to cater to the current crisis and to enhance the availability of PPE. Also, the government agencies have relaxed the import-export restrictions to ensure seamless availability of goods. Furthermore, many countries including India were focusing on indigenous manufacturing of disposable protective clothing to reduce the dependence on imports.  

Source: Research Dive Analysis

The Market for Disposable Protective Clothing in Asia-Pacific to be the Most Dominant and Fastest Growing

The Asia-Pacific disposable protective clothing market accounted $1,217.3 million in 2020 and is projected to grow with a CAGR of 6.4%. Various countries including India and China are encouraging local manufacturers to boost the production of personal protective equipment such as gloves, disposable protective clothing, and others to fight the pandemic. For instance, in June 2020, the Indian government eased the manufacturing standards for PPE makers so as to include them under Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) product certification scheme. Similarly, the Chinese government has introduced new measures to boost the production of face masks by supporting worker recruitment and raw material purchasing by offering tax benefits to the manufacturers. In addition, the shortage of disposable protective clothing due to COVID-19 pandemic has created enormous opportunities for the garment factories in the Asia-Pacific region. For instance, as stated on June 29, 2020, in The Conversation, the research-based news platform, China was the largest exporter of various PPE products including gloves, protective gowns, goggles, and others in 2018. However, in 2020, due to COVID-19 outbreak, China’s PPE exports declined by 15% due to increase in demand for these products in China. However, the PPE export was rebounded in China as the virus had spread across the world. Similarly, India, started the production of PPE in early 2020, with 450,000 PPEs a day in May 2020 to 2 million PPEs by June 2020. Owing to this, more than 600 companies in India are now lab-certified PPE manufacturers. 

Competitive Scenario in the Global Disposable Protective Clothing Market

Product Launch and partnership are common strategies followed by major market players.

Source: Research Dive Analysis

Some of the leading disposable protective clothing market players are Honeywell International Inc., 3M, Ansell Ltd., DuPont de Nemours, Inc., Kimberly-Clark Corporation, International Enviroguard, Derekduck Industry Corp., Lakeland Industries, Inc., Drägerwerk AG, and Asatex AG.

Porter’s Five Forces Analysis for the Global Disposable Protective Clothing Market:

• Bargaining Power of Suppliers: The bargaining power of suppliers is moderate as large number of suppliers have evolved due to COVID-19 pandemic and boosted in the local manufacturing.  
  Thus, the bargaining power of suppliers is moderate.
• Bargaining Power of Buyers: The bargaining power of buyers is high due to powerful client base. In addition, there is high demand for disposable protective clothing from various sectors such as food & beverage, manufacturing, chemical, industrial, and others. The purchase quantity is also high as use of PPE products to prevent the spread of COVID-19 virus has been made mandatory in various sectors. 
  Thus, buyer’s bargaining power will be high.
• Threat of New Entrants: Many new entrants including local manufacturers have entered into this market owing to rapid surge in demand for disposable protective clothing across the world and shortage of PPEs due to the pandemic. These entrants are focusing on increasing their production capacity to meet the increasing demand. 
  Thus, the threat of the new entrants is high.
• Threat of Substitutes: The presence of reusable protective clothing is estimated to affect the disposable protective clothing market to some extent. However, in medical sector, where the demand for PPEs has surged rapidly, reusable protective clothing demand is less. Due to the risk of spread of COVID-19 virus, the demand for disposable protective clothing is high in this sector. 
  Thus, the threat of substitutes is low.
• Competitive Rivalry in the Market: The companies operating in this market are focusing on increasing their production capacity. Also, various governments such as Indian government and Chinese government have encouraged local garment manufacturers to shift their focus towards the manufacturing of disposable protective clothing to meet the growing demand led by the pandemic. 
  Therefore, competitive rivalry in the market is high.