Where in the world

Shifts in consumer demand

A NEW ERA FOR THE G L O B A L F OA M I N D U S T RY

www.foam-expo.eu info@foam-expo.eu

16 – 18 OCTOBER 2018 | HANNOVER, GERMANY

REGISTER FOR YOUR FREE PASS NOW

The foam industry is undergoing unprecedented change and growth as it adapts to new legislation and shifting consumer appetite. Factors driving expansion include greater attention to environmental sustainability and energy conservation, as well as rising demand for versatile, use-specific foams.

By 2021, the polyurethane foam market is forecast to be worth $74.24 billion, growing at a CAGR of 8.4% between 2016 and 2021. During this period, spray foam is set to undergo the highest growth. Used for insulation, flotation and roofing, and packaging applications, spray foam is thriving largely thanks to heightened demand from end-user industries, such as building and construction.

According to The Dow Chemical Company, the growing influence of sustainable building initiatives is driving demand for construction materials that contribute to the energy efficiency of buildings, help reduce their carbon footprint and meet more stringent fire-performance regulations. In order to capture opportunities, manufacturers must keep pace with changing rules.

The global closed cell foam market is also performing well and is on track to hit significant profits by the end of 2022. Elsewhere, growth prospects for the polymer foam market are good. Forecast to reach $207.90 billion by 2024, expansion is being driven by increased demand from core industries including automotive and building and construction. Likewise, the structural foam market is set to reach a global worth of $42.2 billion by 2025, with a CAGR of 5.8%. Greater construction spending in emerging markets such as Brazil, China,

A new era for the global foam industry

By 2021, the polyurethane foam

market is forecast to be worth $74.25

billion, growing at a CAGR of 8.4% between

2016 and 2021

India, Mexico, Russia and South Africa is behind rising demand for injection molded structural foam, in addition to demand from the world’s automotive and packaging industries.

Yet change is afoot. With volatile prices of essential raw materials coupled with a growing public consciousness with regard to environmental concerns, growth in the structural foam market is set to be somewhat restrained over the coming years. Because of this, some industry players are turning their attention to the development of bio-based foams. Such foams have been on the scene for a while, but in an era of ‘cleaner’ products and processes, their appeal is growing. Bio-based foams are today used in commercial and residential furniture, such as mattresses. Bio-derived natural materials also have potential use in synthesising ‘greener’ polyurethane foams.

Around the world, companies are adjusting to this shift. Jeff Rowlands, director at Natural Foams Technology, says the mix of bio and petrochemical provides both challenges and opportunities. “The combination has brought a new chemistry – a new keyboard, if you like, for technologists to play with. Most of the new crossover systems push open the boundaries of existing petrochemical-based foams,” he says. “These new foams are easier to process, are more easily made flame resistant and adapt more easily to new techniques which lower chemical emissions in cars and people’s houses.”

16 – 18 OCTOBER 2018 | HANNOVER, GERMANY | REGISTER FOR YOUR FREE PASS NOW16 – 18 OCTOBER 2018 | HANNOVER, GERMANY | REGISTER FOR YOUR FREE PASS NOW

Learn from Avery Dennision, Opel Automobile GmbH, Markes International, FoamPartner Group, imat-uve speak about ‘Reducing Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in Foam Manufacturing and Processing: Trends. Challenges and Opportunities’ on Tuesday 16 October, Track 1, 15:00

In terms of regions driving industry-wide change, Asia-Pacific tops the leaderboard. With a large and expanding population representing a diverse market of end users and end-user industries the region offers huge opportunity for industry success.

The Asia-Pacific region is also a lucrative market for high-heat foams, which is widely used in sports and leisure applications. Key vendors operating in this area include Armacell, Wacker Chemie AG and Rogers Corporation, which have invested wisely in a market that is set to reach beyond $14 billion within the next six years. The rapid growth of high-heat foam can be attributed to demand from developing countries such as Brazil and India, as well as escalating demand from sectors including automotive and aerospace, where it has broad application as insulation and carpet underlay, among other uses.

But while emerging economies may be dominating headlines, Europe’s foam landscape is also experiencing significant change and development. Suppliers and manufacturers of foam products across Europe are following global trends, such as lightweighting, which is opening new doors for foamed materials. They are also guided by stricter regulations on energy efficiency and carbon emissions. The European Union’s 2020 Action Plan, for example, tasks the region with reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, and individual industries must respond.

Here, the construction industry – particularly in the UK, Germany, Poland and Sweden – is booming as a result of buoyant demand for housing, and foam is a material of choice for a range of end-use industries, including furniture and bedding, refrigeration and freezers, insulation, and

Where in the worldcoatings and adhesives. In construction, rigid polyurethane foam is particularly popular due to its performance as an efficient insulation material.

In terms of specific growth areas, furniture is performing well. Grand View Research reports that two out of every three furniture products sold around the world are manufactured in Europe.

Demand for rigid polyurethane foam is also set to rise in eastern Europe, where countries including Hungary, Poland and Slovakia are witnessing a surge in construction spending. Across the entire continent, polyurethane consumption is expected to increase thanks to its versatility and broad application in major end-use industries.

According to Grand View Research, flexible PU foam will gain market share in Europe, accounting for 35% by 2024. Behind this growth is increasing demand for viscoelastic or memory foam in mattress

and bedding products – a trend that can be seen in both developed and emerging economies. In the automotive industry, heightened focus on safety and comfort is steering demand for flexible foam.

Rigid polyurethane foams are also on a strong growth trajectory and are set to claim upwards of 30.6% market share in the forecast period, which began in 2016.

16 – 18 OCTOBER 2018 | HANNOVER, GERMANY | REGISTER FOR YOUR FREE PASS NOW16 – 18 OCTOBER 2018 | HANNOVER, GERMANY | REGISTER FOR YOUR FREE PASS NOW

flexibile PU foam will gain

market share in Europe,

accounting for 35% by 2024

Hear from Europur, Zotefoams, Recticel, Armacell, Covestro and JSP speak about ‘Industry Trends in High Performance Foam Markets to Identify Technology Innovation’ on Tuesday 16 October, Track 1, 10:30

As the world turns its back on single-use plastics, packaging manufacturers are scrambling to develop new, advanced solutions that have minimal impact on the environment. Stepping up to the challenge is the foam bottle technology market. This technology reduces the need for resin in production by 15%, instead using a bubble-honeycomb structure that is lightweight yet rigid. The material protects against contamination, making it suitable for liquids packaging. The foam bottles are biodegradable, engineered from either starch foam or synthetic foam.

Clean Technology Market Reports says the end-use industry sector of these products includes the beverage and cosmetics markets, which are forecast to witness double-digit growth over the next five years, thereby accelerating demand for foam technology packaging.

Alpla is one company operating in this field. In 2015 and 2016, the leading packaging molder received two awards for its innovative foaming technology in extrusion blow molding (EBM), which reduces the amount of resins needed to produce EBM plastic bottles. The technology cuts plastic consumption and weight by up to 15%

Shifts in consumer demand

As the world turns its back on single-use

plastics, packaging manufacturers are scrambling

to develop new, advanced solutions

that have minimal impact on the

environment

by injecting a gas into the centre layer of the bottle wall, creating bubbles and rendering the bottles fully recyclable. René Plattner, Alpla’s head of packaging management, says, “The thickness of the material is reduced, but the thickness of the wall remains the same. The bottles therefore have practically the same high level of functionality in the bottling plants and during transportation and handling as conventional EBM bottles.”

The next stage for innovations of these kinds is determining wider application. Whether the technology is scalable will have a major impact on its potential success in a market that could become saturated with contemporary foam solutions.

In the next few years, the foam industry will continue to grow and evolve, moving into uncharted areas as the end-user industry landscape shifts. For those interested in finding out more about trends in global foam markets and discovering new technology innovations, register to attend Europe’s dedicated exhibition and conference for the technical foam manufacturing supply chain. The expo delves deep into the needs and demands of key end-user industries, brings together expert panels to discuss the changes taking place in global foam markets, and explores where suppliers and manufacturers should focus their efforts for the best results.

16 – 18 OCTOBER 2018 | HANNOVER, GERMANY | REGISTER FOR YOUR FREE PASS NOW16 – 18 OCTOBER 2018 | HANNOVER, GERMANY | REGISTER FOR YOUR FREE PASS NOW

Sekisui Alveo, Europur and Snow Business will be discussing ‘End-of-Life Solutions for Closed-Loop Manufacturing of Foams’ on Thursday 18 October, 10:00, Track 1