Market Report
The Future of High-Performance Polymer Foams to 2021
High-Performance polymer foams market is forecast to reach $122.4 billion by 2021
Market Overview
The largest end user for polymer foams is in the construction industry; mainly for thermal insulation, but it is also used for acoustic insulation and as structural landfill in civil engineering projects. Applications in the construction industry account for over 58% of the overall demand for polymer foams. Packaging is the second largest end use application for polymer foams; mainly for a variety of short-term applications to protect consumer and commercial goods during storage and transit, or for food and drink packaging. The remaining sales of polymer foams are in a variety of applications; including automotive and other transportation vehicles, furniture upholstery and bedding mattresses, domestic and commercial refrigerators and other applications that each use relatively small volumes of a range of foam types.
The growth in demand for polymer foams depends on a number of factors; although there are some common themes that will influence several end use markets, these factors may differ from end application to end application, and region by region.
- Demand for construction materials will depend on government and private construction investment in buildings and infrastructure, on the application of existing building codes and regulations, and the introduction of new and more demanding amendments. It will also be influenced by support schemes for refurbishments and energy saving initiatives, not just in Europe and North America but to address the ageing building stock in countries such as China.
- Increases in urbanisation and the growing size of the middle class population, resulting in increased disposable income levels, will affect segments such as furniture and bedding, packaging, automotive, footwear, and sports & leisure.
- One factor that could have a negative influence on polymer foam demand is in the use of polymer foams for packaging, where it faces challenges around its environmental credentials and their limited recycling options.