Acrylic fiber Market: Increasing Need in Textile Industry

Acrylics are unique man-made materials, which have found their applications in various industries ranging from home furnishing to clothing manufacturing sectors. Acrylonitrile is a synthetic polymer utilized for its manufacturing purpose. The raw materials for these products are derived from petroleum, as well as other fossil fuel components. Acrylic fiber is used mainly for purposes that require maintenance of heat retention properties. Some of the attributes that make acrylic fiber desirable for diverse applications include resistance to water, shape retention ability and resistivity among others in upholstery, carpets, clothing and furniture fabrics. Acrylic fibers have supplanted wool in numerous markets due to their resemblance with wool fibers in terms of properties that are associated with wool, including sweaters, carpets and blankets. Acrylic fiber has features such as sunscreen properties, solvent resistivity, crease resistance, chemical resistance and quick-drying ability. Rising demand for textiles, home decorative items and allied products is driving the market for acrylic fiber. Global Production Trends From clothing in ancient times to the present time, wool is a popular textile material. It has a very good insulating property, can absorb moisture and does not wrinkle easily. The fact that wool can resile back into its initial shape even after long periods is another important property. As such, garments made from these fibres remain attractive. Acrylic fibre is largely used to produce highly sought-after blends of wool and acrylics in this respect coat. Thus for those who want low-cost, aesthetic lightweight manageable For clothes, they usually go for 50/50 or 70/30 mixtures. Stain-resistant and silhouette-retentive lightweight garments are produced by men using only 50% Polyester male Wool blend. In case pants are needed then consider getting hold of 70 percent Acrylic Wool mix instead. In 2021 about 1.03 million tonnes were produced from sheep according to TextileExchange.org. End Use Case Acrylic fibers in textile and apparel sector are commonly used for linings of textile and furnishing materials. This is done by firstly producing filament, cutting short staple lengths from it and then spinning it to yarn. Acrylic fibers are also characterized by being light-weighted, warm, soft feeling that do not allow chemical substances through, resist oil stains as well as being free from moths’ attack. It possesses excellent wicking properties, which enable perspiration to be absorbed by the fabric made from acrylic fiber and transferred outside where it gets evaporated. Moreover, the industry is seeing a rise in the use of recycled acrylic material. Recycled materials are used in more creative and sustainable applications, reducing the company's carbon footprint. Aditya Birla Yarn provides Regel yarn with up to 75% recycled content. This is used to make a variety of clothes, including hoodies, innerwear, and sweaters. The acrylic material is suitable for use in the textile industry due to its ease of coloring. Market Dynamics and Drivers Acrylic fibre has various advantages. Among them, its resistance towards water and chemicals makes it a preferable material for outdoor furniture as well as awnings. This is because they are extremely resistant to stains or mould/fungi spores that may infest them when used as curtains carpets or any other kind of home furnishing items. As an example of global urbanization trends, the demand for household items is expected to increase. The UN estimates that by 2050, approximately 68 percent of people across the globe will live in cities which represents a major increase in this regard. This suggests that metropolitan areas will see their population rise over the next years. Figure 1: Growth in Urban Population, in Millions, Global, 2022 to 2050* Source: UNCTAD The growing demand for acrylic fibre will be driven by urbanization since this kind of fabric finds applications in many industries including the automotive industry and textiles industry. The main benefit of acrylic fabric for upholstery applications is its stain and scratch resistance, durability, and variety of colour options. Furthermore, it is simple to clean and maintain, thus making it highly suitable for furniture like couches, chairs, cushions, or curtains among other things. Key Developments

• In April 2024, Archroma developed an innovative formaldehyde and PFAS-free durable hydrophobic acrylic copolymer. The polymer produced has low water absorption and tightness for all conditions. Named APPRETAN® FFX1540 liq, it provides hydrophobicity for bonded nonwovens and coated technical fabrics. The manufacturing provides a low carbon footprint and sustainability. It can be used for finishing glass fibre materials. Further, the material has high mechanical properties and excellent wet strength. Archroma is a Swiss global leader in speciality chemicals focused on sustainable solutions and provides a range of APPRETAN Formaldehyde-Free portfolio. APPRETAN FFX1540 liq can be used in various industries, such as home textiles, technical fabrics, performance textiles, and food packaging.
• In October 2023, The Mitsubishi Chemical Group announced a collaboration with Honda Motor Co. Ltd. to develop PMMA material for automotive body parts. This new acrylic material can be used indoors, hoods, fenders, and other automotive body parts.. The material is used with rubber particles to improve the impact required for automobile bodies. This material also helps reduce carbon emissions as further painting is not required in the body of the automobiles. Furthermore, this acrylic resin is suitable for recycling. The major advantages of using acrylic resins are, that it is highly transparent and can be mixed with various colours, allowing manufacturers to create glossy surfaces by adding colourants.
• In February 2023, Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corporation established Japan’s First Acrylic Resin Collection Scheme with the collaboration of Tokio Marine & Nichido and ABT. This testing centre aims to verify a scheme for collected acrylic resins from end-of-life vehicles, to commercialize molecular recycling operations for acrylic resin together. TMNF would be collecting end-of-life vehicles with the payment of insurance claims, ABT was commissioned by TMNF to dismantle and properly dispose of end-of-life vehicles, including reuse and recycling, and Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corporation, a leading acrylic resin manufacturer, was allocated work for developing a full-fledged business to molecularly recycle and reuse of the collected acrylic resins, in addition to manufacturing acrylic resin.