From 320000 tons to 400000 tons - this title is not enough to summarize the true explosive power of China's PP non-woven fabric exports
The real data is even more astonishing: in 2025, the export volume of PP non-woven fabric in China reached 1.64 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 6.49%. The 320000 to 400000 tons you mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg in this export frenzy.
How can an industry with severe overcapacity sell its products globally against the trend? The answer is hidden in four key words.
Keyword 1: "Going out to sea for survival" forced by internal competition
The life of the domestic PP non-woven fabric industry is not easy. Long term overcapacity, fierce industry competition, and operating rates as low as 32% at one point. The price has been declining from the peak of the epidemic, and the average spot price in the market has fallen to around 9200 yuan/ton by 2025, with profits as thin as blades.
In such an environment, 'going out to sea' is no longer a multiple-choice question, but a survival question. The oversupply of domestic production capacity and excessive competition in the industry have forced companies to turn their attention to foreign markets. Instead of fighting a price war domestically until profits return to zero, it's better to look for incremental space overseas. Export has become a "spillway" for digesting excess production capacity.
Keyword 2: Emerging markets are 'buying, buying'
Who is the largest buyer of PP non-woven fabric exports from China? Not Europe and America, but Asian neighbors.
By 2025, the top five trading partners for China's PP non-woven fabric exports will be Japan (15.32%), Vietnam (12.4%), Indonesia (11.02%), the Philippines (8.23%), and the United States (7.77%). The top five combined account for 54.75% of the total export volume.
The demand for disposable medical protection and hygiene products in emerging markets such as Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa is growing strongly. These regions have a large population base and fast consumption upgrading, resulting in a sustained increase in import demand for non-woven fabric products. With the support of the "the Belt and Road" and other policies, the products of Chinese enterprises can enter these markets more smoothly.
Keyword 3: Global supply chain is undergoing a 'big move'
This is not a Chinese story, but a global story.
The global disposable sanitary material market is undergoing a major product upgrade. Taking the North American diaper market as an example, cross-border brands incubated by the Chinese supply chain, such as Millie Moon, are continuously seizing market share. By mid-2025, even giants like Procter&Gamble will launch cross-border Chinese supply chain brand "Bum Bum" in North America to compete.
The pressure from downstream brand owners is transmitted upstream - they require suppliers with lower costs, greater flexibility, and global supply capabilities. This is precisely the advantage of Chinese non-woven fabric enterprises.
At the same time, leading companies are expanding their production capacity globally. Yanjiang Corporation has established overseas production capacity in Egypt and the United States; Domestic enterprises have invested in 23 PP spunbond nonwoven fabric projects in Vietnam, with a total production capacity of 420000 tons per year. This is not a short-term arbitrage, but a long-term logic of global production capacity+localized supply .
Keyword 4: Products are upgrading, not just 'selling cloth'
Behind the increase in export volume is the upgrading of product structure.
The five major application areas of PP non-woven fabric are medical hygiene, wiping and cleaning, packaging materials, automotive interior, and filtration materials. With the increasing popularity of disposable wiping products, the demand for wiping and cleaning materials continues to rise; The penetration rate of new energy vehicles is increasing, and the demand for automotive fabrics is also growing year by year.
Chinese companies are no longer just selling low-end spunbond fabrics. The export proportion of high-end water jet, SMS composite, functional non-woven fabric and other products is increasing. Top enterprises such as Nippon Paint Group saw a year-on-year increase of 23% in revenue and 21% in net profit attributable to shareholders in the third quarter of 2025- with a significantly higher profit elasticity than revenue, thanks to product structure upgrades and increased overseas orders.
Conclusion
Chinese PP nonwoven fabrics are sold all over the world not because of luck, but because domestic competition has forced companies to go global, and the demand from emerging markets has provided a stage. The restructuring of the global supply chain has opened a window, and product upgrades have made Chinese manufacturing no longer just a "bargain".
The export volume of 1.64 million tons is just the beginning. With the continuous improvement of global health awareness, the rigid growth of demand for medical consumables, and the gradual ramp up of Chinese enterprises' overseas production capacity, this road to going global is still far from the end.
Dongguan Liansheng Non woven Technology Co., Ltd. was established in May 2020. It is a large-scale non-woven fabric production enterprise integrating research and development, production, and sales. It can produce various colors of PP spunbond non-woven fabrics with a width of less than 3.2 meters from 9 grams to 300 grams.