Protective Clothing Market Size & Share, by Material Type (Aramid & Blends, Polyolefin & Blends, Polyamide, PBI, Cotton Fibers, Laminated Polyesters); Application (Thermal, Mechanical, Chemical, Radiation); End-user (Construction, Manufacturing, Oil & Gas, Mining, Medical, Defense, Firefighters) - Global Supply & Demand Analysis, Growth Forecasts, Statistics Report 2023-2033

Global Protective Clothing Market Definition

Protective clothing shields the wearer from potentially fatal hazards or perilous situations. They are designed to protect the employee from contact with undesirable aspects of the workplace. Industrial protective clothing may be resistant to heat, chemicals, cold, mechanical stress, and other factors, depending on the industry. These are the fabricated and treated clothes mainly designed dangerous work environment to protect the workers from pollution and infection. These clothes are sometimes also known as personal protective equipment (PPE). Protective clothing is highly utilized in the medical industry as well to make disposable gloves, gowns for both doctors and patients, and others. Protective clothing to prevent contamination and the spread of diseases.  

Furthermore, sportswear also has a high demand for protective clothing, for instance, hockey masks, baseball protective gear, bullet proof vests, futuristic powered armor, and others. The main reason of using protective clothing in sportswear since safety is on peak in sports. Additionally, for safety purposes, protective clothing is also utilized in body armor, such as headgear, hand protection, eye protection, earplugs, footwear, and others. Protective clothing is resistant to moisture and heat in the environment. The importance of protective clothing. When people are equipped with pieces made protective clothing, they deal with fewer injuries.

Protective clothing properties includes lightweight, water repellant, UV resistant, windproof, thermal insulating, resistant to heat & moisture, low noise emission, and others. Additionally, there are more than 10 types of protective clothing exist on the market and some of them are electrical protective, high visibility textile, biological protective, high-temperature protective, mechanical protective, breathable fabrics, protective health care garments, and others.

Global Protective Clothing Market: Key Insights

Global Protective Clothing Market Size, Forecast, and Trend Highlights Over 2023 - 2033

The global protective clothing market is estimated to garner a revenue of USD 18 Billion by the end of 2033 by growing at a CAGR of ~7% over the forecast period, i.e., 2023 – 2033. Further, the market generated a revenue of USD 10 Billion in the year 2022. The growth of the market can be attributed to the rapid boom of the textile industry across the world. Moreover, protective clothing is used in textile products in order to provide protection from environmental situations, and it is predicted to drive the market’s growth. The revenue generation of the global textile industry in 2018 was approximately USD 900 billion, which is further anticipated to reach USD 1,250 billion by 2024.

Protective clothing market trends, such as, the presence of large number of textile businesses in the world, are expected to bolster the production of protective clothing in the upcoming years.  The total number of textile and cloth manufacturing companies in the European Union was calculated to be 143,000 in the year 2021. In recent years, concerns related to workplace safety has grown considerably in every sector. The increasing healthcare, chemical, construction, food processing, or manufacturing industries, the high number of mortalities and accidental injuries are expected to drive the protective clothing market in the recent years. Hence, these factors are expected to hike the growth of the market over the forecast period.

Global Protective Clothing Market: Growth Drivers and Challenges

Growth Drivers

• Prevalence of Industrial Accidents – Recent industrialization has propelled the expansion of numerous industries. On the other hand, the number of fatalities and accidents has also increased considerably. To protect the employees, the demand for protective clothing is expected to increase rapidly. The total number of fatal work injuries in the United States was calculated to be around 5,000 in 2020.

• Rise in Instances of Structure Fires – Protective clothing is required in emergencies such as fires and is worn by personnel such as firefighters and first responders. Moreover, the flame-resistant fabrics are used for the manufacture of protective clothes in order to protect the employees from the fire work. Therefore, it is projected to increase the growth of the global protective clothing market. The recent statistics reported that in 2020, there were almost 500,000 structure fires in the United States, an increment of 2 percent from 2019.

• High Investments by Companies in R&D Activities – The development of new technologies and improvements in protective fabrics are undoubtedly a very important factor, that is expected to spur the growth of the global protective clothing market. The World Bank showed the data on Research and Development expenditure to be 2.63% of total GDP in 2020, up from 2.13% of total GDP in 2017.

• Rapid Industrialization and Urbanization – People working in industries such as construction and manufacturing often need to wear protective garments to help mitigate the risks associated in their lie of work. According to the United Nations Organization released the data stating that about 55% of the global population was living in urban areas in 2018, which is forecasted to increase to 68% by 2050.

Challenges

• Concerns Related to Wearability Issues
• Requirement for High Initial Investment
• Constant Fluctuation in Costs of Raw Materials – With global economic instability and volatile changes in the prices of crude oil, which indirectly or directly affects the prices for synthetic fibers, such as nylon or rayon. These factors affect the costs incurred in the manufacture of protective clothing. Hence, it is expected to restrain the growth of the global protective clothing market.

Market Segmentation

The global protective clothing market is segmented and analyzed for demand and supply by end-use into construction, manufacturing, oil & gas, mining, medical, defense, and firefighters. Out of these types of segments, the construction segment is estimated to gain the largest market share over the projected time frame. The growth of the segment can be attributed to the increasing expansion of the construction sector, backed by the rising demand for the construction processes across various industries along with the growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and industrialization is expected to bolster the growth of the construction segment in the market in the assessment period. A recent report stated that in 2019, the construction industry in the U.S. generated a revenue of approximately USD 2 trillion.

The global protective clothing market is also segmented and analyzed for demand and supply by material type into aramid & blends, polyolefin & blends, polyamide, PBI, cotton fibers, laminated polyesters, and others. Amongst these segments, the aramid & blends segment is expected to garner a significant share. The growth of the segment can be accounted to the higher utilization of aramid & blends in ballistic protection, which makes it suitable to be used in clothing, armor, and others. Aramid fiber properties include high resistance to strength, organic solvents, and abrasion, as these fibers are non-conductive and have low flammability. For instance, the sales and production volume of aramid fibers collectivity are expected to reach approximately USD 4 billion by 2027 around the world.

Our in-depth analysis of the global protective clothing market includes the following segments:

Global Protective Clothing Market Regional Synopsis

The Asia Pacific protective clothing market, amongst the market in all the other regions, is projected to hold the largest market share by the end of 2033. The growth of the market can be attributed majorly to the increasing demand and manufacturing of textile fibers, along with dyes and pigments, in the region, backed by the growing population resulting in the availability of a robust workforce for production. It was expected that China was the top-ranked global textile exporter in 2021 with a value of approximately USD 120 billion, almost 52% of the total textile export industry in Asia. Also, the employment rate in the clothing industry, along with rapid urbanization and rising industries are expected to bring lucrative growth opportunities for the growth of the Asia Pacific protective clothing market during the forecast period. According to the International Labor Organization, around 65 million people were employed in the garment sector in Asia-Pacific, which accounts for 75% of all garment workers worldwide. Asia Pacific is known to have a robust textile industry, which is attributed to the lower cost of production & cheap labor. For instance, Japan is one of the leading exporters of textile which China comprises approximately 42% of the global textile industry with nearly 30 years of dominance in the textile & garment industry. All of this has been possible owing to the presence of good infrastructure, a robust supply-chain, and expertise in apparel products.

Top Featured Companies Dominating the Global Protective Clothing Market

• Protective Industrial Products Inc.
  • Company Overview
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• Honeywell International Inc.
• Lakeland Inc.
• 3M Company
• DuPont de Nemours, Inc.
• ANSELL LTD
• Clark Corporation
• Teijin Aramid BV
• Sioen Industries NV
• Cintas Corporation