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The epidemic will accelerate the growth of the personal protective equipment industry

Industry News > The epidemic will accelerate the growth of the personal protective equipment industry

The global COVID-19 epidemic and the lack of effective vaccines make the prevention of human-to-human transmission critical, especially for medical staff and other frontline workers. As a result, the demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) has soared and there is no sign of abating. It is estimated that the value of the PPE industry is US$50 billion in 2019, and it is expected to exceed US$80 billion by 2026, expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 7% within the forecast time frame.

PPE refers to a series of safety equipment designed to reduce exposure to potentially dangerous workplace conditions and prevent injuries and diseases. The protective device can protect the wearer in a variety of hazardous situations, including exposure to physical, mechanical, electrical and chemical hazards. The PPE market can be divided into safety glasses, gloves, footwear, vests, work clothes, helmets and full protective clothing, which may include products such as respirators.

The workplace safety measures formulated by the United States OSHA and similar agencies in other countries have brought PPE into the mainstream to a certain extent, but since the emergence of COVID-19, the status of this field has become more prominent. PPE is ubiquitous in the medical environment, and it has penetrated into various industries and even daily life. The demand for masks, masks and gloves has soared, and factories around the world have also increased to meet the demand.

Rising demand for PPE in the construction industry

Due to the risks of electric shock, splashing, dripping, falling, flying objects, and overflow, the demand for PPE in the construction and construction sectors has been strong. Safety helmets, footwear and other safety clothing and equipment make the construction and construction industry a reliable growth path for the PPE market. In 2019, it accounted for approximately US$8 billion in the PPE market. However, due to lockdowns, social distancing requirements and production disruptions, the industry is expected to experience a slight setback this year.

However, analysts expect that the pace of development of the construction industry will accelerate. Protective helmets are considered the most important, valued at more than 2.5 billion US dollars by 2026. According to various estimates, by 2026, increasingly stringent safety measures on construction sites may lead to a compound annual growth rate of 7.5% for this part of the PPE market.

In this turbulent era, the use of PPE has expanded to manufacturing because the production and distribution of basic goods and services is a high priority. Global manufacturing and supply chains will need to be extra cautious in the workplace, requiring many workers to wear protective equipment. In 2019, the protective clothing component of PPE is worth 11 billion U.S. dollars; the demand for protective covers, work clothes and gloves has surged, and it is estimated that by 2026, the compound annual growth rate of the PPE component will reach 7%.

The impact of COVID-19 on the medical PPE supply chain

COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March 2020 and quickly became one of the most serious health threats in the world. At the time of writing, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 20,439,800 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported globally and more than 744,000 deaths.

Medical PPE has become a mandatory requirement for healthcare infrastructure around the world, especially for frontline workers who are in close contact with the virus during the screening, testing, and treatment of patients. The explosive growth in demand has created gaps in the supply chain of critical disposable protective equipment, leading to global shortages.

According to the World Health Organization, the price of surgical masks increased 6 times in March, while the price of N95 masks increased 3 times, and the price of surgical gowns also doubled. Industries will increase the production of personal protective equipment by more than 40% to keep up with the exponential growth in demand.

Despite these efforts, the supply of PPE in the United States, Europe and other places is still alarmingly small. A few weeks ago, I heard that American nurses were repeatedly using N95 masks for several days. Many doctors report that they cannot reopen their clinics due to lack of PPE. Government officials worked hard to purchase PPE in the United States and overseas.

In Italy, these shortages are a major factor in the spread of infections and deaths among medical staff. As early as March, the severe collapse of medical PPE supply caused widespread infections among medical workers, accounting for 9% of COVID-19 cases in Italy. The Italian Association of Nurses and the International Council of Nurses have issued a warning that if the nurses are not provided with sufficient PPE, the consequences will be dire, because nurses have been working uninterrupted for COVID-19 patients.

Local reality has prompted a substantial increase in the global PPE manufacturing industry. Despite the suspension of production, the company has been providing frontline workers with a sufficient number of masks, face shields, protective clothing and related equipment around the clock. European factories have stepped up to produce enough protective equipment. In 2019, the European PPE industry is valued at US$10.5 billion and is expected to exceed US$16 billion by 2026. The North American PPE market is expected to exceed the US$30 billion mark by 2026.

For example, the Global Medical Innovation Center recently collaborated with scientists and researchers and medical staff in the Georgia Institute of Technology's invention studio to solve the serious shortage of PPE for frontline medical staff. The initiative includes providing free PPE design and supervision guidance to any GMP-compliant production plant for the production and distribution of safety equipment such as masks to medical staff.

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield has also taken a similar move, issuing free PPE to front-line health care and social service personnel with a public-private partnership of $5 million. CareFirst also uses the program to collaborate with a network of well-known PPE suppliers to distribute FDA-approved protective equipment. CareFirst promised to provide more than 1.6 million gloves, masks, protective clothing and face shields to primary care providers, community organizations and federally approved medical centers in Maryland, Northern Virginia and the District of Columbia.

PPE demand has a positive impact on plastic processors

The urgent need for PPE and the valuable role of plastics in its manufacturing process, as well as the reconsideration of the benefits of disposable plastic bags in preventing the spread of viruses, have reduced the campaign to discredit and ban single-use plastics. This has brought growth opportunities for some plastic processing companies, because many medical products-IV bags, blood bags, ventilators, hospital gowns, gloves, etc., are all made of plastic.

Although the health and hygiene benefits of single-use plastics were highlighted during the epidemic, some activists have warned that the proliferation of plastic waste will have an adverse effect on the environment. In view of this, research is currently underway to find substitutes for PPE materials. For example, the radical organization "Plastic Planet" and packaging companies Transcend Packaging and Reelbrands are jointly developing non-plastic masks.

This epidemic reminded the world in time that plastics play a vital role in medical emergencies, and the existence and development of this technology is creating a true circular economy.

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The epidemic will accelerate the growth of the personal protective equipment industry

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