Total European nonwovens production grew in weight by 10.3% since 2009, reaching 1.78 million tons in 2010, according to EDANA statistics. This compares with a 6.3% decline in 2009. The level of production in square meters, which did not stop growing, reached 54,245 million in 2010, representing a total turnover estimated around €5,585 million.

Launching the EDANA Annual Statistics 2010, Jacques Prigneaux, EDANA’s market analysis andeconomic affairs director said that “The European nonwoven industry is back on the right trackin 2010. Two main findings of EDANA Annual Statistics illustrate the vitality of our sector. Firstly,several market segments recorded their best output ever, in both tonnage and square meters.

Secondly, EU trade flows of nonwovens with the rest of the world, both exports and imports, havenever been as high as the ones recorded last year.”

Despite the recovery of almost all other market segments, the hygiene business is still by far thelargest outlet of the industry both in terms of weight and surface area for 2010. After the first everdecline in tonnage in 2009, the amount of nonwovens sold to the personal care wipes marketrecorded double digit growth last year, both in tons and square meters. Other importantpositive evolutions, in percentage, were observed in automotive, building/roofing, air and gasfiltration, agriculture and medical applications.

Detailed data for the “2010 European Nonwovens Production and Deliveries” is available toEDANA member companies.