"Second-child" opening promotes rapid growth of diaper plastics

[Jiuzhi Plastics News] Today, the country has opened up the policy of giving birth to a second child. Babies use diapers, so this policy has contributed to the rapid growth of diaper plastics .

The structure of the diaper product mainly includes a surface layer, an absorbent core body, an outer layer leakage preventing film and a tape; the surface layer is generally a non-woven fabric containing aloe vera, and the absorbent core is mainly a polymer absorbent body (SAP) and fluff pulp, and the outer layer The leakproof film is generally a non-woven fabric, a breathable PE film, and the tape is an adhesive tape. The materials used in diapers are composite staple fibers (ES fibers) and superabsorbent resins (SAP), which are the core raw materials for diapers.

Composite short fiber (ES fiber), also known as sheath-core composite short fiber, is a sheath-core two-component fiber, which is a kind of polyolefin fiber developed by Japan Zhisuo Company. The fiber is particularly suitable for use as a hot air penetration process for the production of sanitary materials, warm fillers, filter materials, etc. It is the third and fourth generation sanitary products (mainly including sanitary napkins, sanitary pads, baby diapers and diapers). Raw materials for the production of woven fabrics.

Composite staple fiber (ES fiber) is an important material for non-woven fabrics, and the advantage of non-woven fabrics is that the liquid has a shorter penetration time and a lower amount of rewet, which is the most commonly used material for the diaper surface layer. At the same time, with ES fiber, the cost of raw materials only increased by 2% to 3%, but the price can be increased by 10% to 20%, and the added value of the product is high.

An average of 30% of the world's nonwoven fabrics use ES fibers, which is as high as 70% or more in Japan. As the penetration rate increases, the demand for ES fiber will usher in rapid expansion. At present, the domestic market has presented a situation of high-end shortage. It is estimated that the domestic ES fiber production capacity in 2015 will be about 300,000 tons.

High performance water absorbing resin (SAP) is a new type of functional polymer material. The most basic performance is that it can absorb water hundreds of times or even thousands of times more than itself. It can become a gel after water absorption, has certain strength and water retention, is insoluble in water, and is insoluble in organic matter. Due to its strong liquid absorption capacity, SAP can absorb tens of times to hundreds of times its own weight of liquid, its water absorption speed, high rate, safe and non-toxic, cheap and easy to obtain raw materials, etc., is widely used in the diaper absorption core layer.

SAP's largest application area is the health industry. The products used in this area are baby diapers, children's training pants, adult incontinence products and women's sanitary napkins. In the SAP consumed by developed countries, baby diapers accounted for 77%, and adult incontinence products accounted for 10%, which is close to 90% of the total, while China accounted for only about 60%.

With the rapid development of the baby and adult diaper industry, SAP market demand will also grow sharply. At present, in general, each piece of diaper, SAP costs about 20%. The diaper weighs 30-40g/tablet, and the SAP content is generally 8-12g. According to the average of 10g/piece and 30,000 yuan/ton, the cost of SAP diapers is as high as about 0.3 yuan/piece.

At present, the annual demand for baby diapers and diapers in China is only about 25 billion yuan. It is worth noting that the penetration rate of China's baby diapers is only about 30%, while the penetration rate of diapers in overseas markets such as North America and Japan has reached 95%. The domestic adult incontinence market penetration rate is less than 3%, and the adult incontinence products have matured in Japan, and the ratio is as high as 80%.

According to the life paper industry association, infants under the age of 2 need to use diapers in a conservative calculation of 3 pieces per day. At that time, the market penetration rate is estimated at 60%. In 2020, the consumption of baby diapers in China will reach 30 billion pieces; Relatively optimistic estimates of 6/days in developed countries in Europe and the United States will increase consumption by 3-4 times by 2020. Adult incontinence products are another area where SAP downstream can grow significantly.

China has stepped into an aging society. With reference to relevant Japanese data, 12% of elderly people over 65 years old need nursing. The elderly care in China has just started. At present, the total consumption of adult incontinence products in China exceeds 500 million pieces. The average daily consumption is calculated in 3 pieces, and the market penetration rate is only about 3%. The potential space in the future is relatively large. It can be seen that the increase in the penetration rate of the baby market and the adult market has brought about a considerable market space for the diaper and promoted the prosperity of the upstream material industry.