It is very difficult to quantify the market. All we have to go by is a square metre figure for geotextiles that is quoted without a clearly identified source. It is not clear what it covers and is not based on primary research. From this per square metre figure, which I estimate at 2 million sq m, another set of assumptions have to be made on average weight per square metre and the weighting of such a figure is not known, but I guess estimate as being one million tons.

Natural Fibres

Jute geotextiles were initially promoted in Germany and their partners in USA. Again, producers in India and Bangladesh could only look on with envy. Manufacture could be in India but the profits were in marketing. The margins were far higher than for traditional jute products.

The geosynthetic industry often agreed to distribute natural fibres as well to be able to offer a full range of products but their primary interest was and is overwhelmingly in promoting synthetics. Again, it is difficult to quantify but assuming a one million ton geotextiles figure, and similar figures I have estimated in the past, it is possible to try to give some sort of quantitative guidance.

By 1976 some 5,000 tons of jute were being sold as geotextile in the USA and assuming 10,000 tons globally, accounted for 2% of the global market segment. Jute was acting as a trail blazer for natural fibres in the sector.

Today, some 20,000 tons of jute is being used for geotextiles and it accounts for just under 2% of the market segment since the market has doubled since 1980. The growth in use of jute has been significant and is part of a greater share for natural materials. The main driver has been the unique natural characteristics of the fibre.

That would be very impressive were it not for the far more impressive market sales for coir. In contrast to the very limited promotion of jute for geotextiles, there have been a series of efforts to research the market and promote use of coir. It started off with looking at geotextiles as one of the high value export possibilities being looked at for coir. With time it became apparent that it was the most promising area and has taken coir from virtually negligible market share (some white coir netting) to around 5.6%, nearly three times the tonnage of jute being used.

Natural materials have gained a great deal during this period as geotextiles. From a paltry 3% in 1980, natural materials today account for 15% of the geotextile market. There is some substitutability between the natural materials with straw and wood fibres far cheaper than either coir or jute. But the materials also have unique characteristics and there is certainly no competition between jute and coir although palm fibre being developed in Malaysia is able to marginally compete with both, jute and coir but offers yet another natural material albeit with little known unique qualities.

Coir promoters have increased the range of product-market applications. White fibre nets that sought to imitate geo-jute have led to cheaper brown fibre nets, matting and logs and pillows. A major contribution was made by the Federal policy in Germany of insulating public buildings that led to stitched blankets of coir seeded with perennial grass. Stitched blankets have proven very popular with geotextile buyers and have accounted for a great deal of the success of coir.