World fibre consumption rising steadily – ICAC survey

07 May '11

5 min read

Developing countries led growth in Consumption

Developed countries had been the major driver of growth in world fibre consumption over the past few decades. Over the most recent decade, however, per capita consumption of fibres in developing countries increased at a much more rapid pace Compared with 2004, per capita consumption of fibres in developing countries in 2007 increased by about 20%, but only by 8% in developed countries. By regions, far Eastern countries registered the highest growth, about 27%, largely due to China (Mainland), where per capita consumption of fibres increased by 50% between 2004 and 2007.

The increase in fibre consumption in developing countries has been largely met by man-made fibres. While total per capita fibre consumption increased by 20%, consumption of man-made fibres went up by 28% during 2004 - 2007. As a result, the share of man-made fibres in total fibre consumption in developing countries climbed from 56% in 2000 to 65% in 2008.

The per capita consumption of manmade fibres in developing countries increased from 2.8 kilograms in 2000 to 4.9 kilograms in 2008. In 2008, total cotton consumption in developed countries accounted for about 50% of world consumption with a per capita consumption of 9.5 kilograms, which was nearly 4 times the 24 kilograms consumed in developing countries.

Cotton continues to lose market shares

While cotton and man-made fibres continued to dominate world fibre markets, cotton has been rapidly losing its market share. In 1990, natural fibres accounted for over 60% of global fibre consumption, while in 2000 that share declined to 45%, and fell further to 40% in 2008.

It has been hypothesized that natural fibres, in particular cotton, would regain their market shares after the rapid and sustained economic growth observed in the most populous developing countries, such as China (Mainland) and India, over the last decade. However, while the total quantity of natural fibre consumption has trended upward in these countries, per capita consumption of cotton has experienced little increase. For instance, per capita consumption of natural fibres in China (Mainland) in 1996 amounted to 2.8 kilograms, and it remained essentially unchanged after 12 years of accelerated economic growth (95% annual GDP growth), at 3 kilograms.

In 2008, the per capita consumption of cotton in China (Mainland) amounted to 25 kilograms, only 0.2 kilograms higher than in 1996. Our preliminary analyses suggest that limited land resources and competition with food crops put upward pressure on natural fibre prices and this induces substitution in the textile industry towards relatively cheaper man-made fibres. The rapid technological advances in the man-made fibre industry, in particular the cotton-like fibres, drove away demand for natural fibres. In fact, per capita consumption of cotton in developing countries only increased from 22 kilograms In 1996 to 2.4 kilograms in 2008, while per capita consumption of man-made fibres in developing countries increased from 23 kilograms to 4.9 kilograms over the same period.

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International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC)

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