China plastic bag ban spurs non-woven fabric

05 March 2008 08:46  [Source: ICIS news]

SHANGHAI (ICIS news)--China’s non-woven fabric industry is benefitting from the government decision to ban plastic bags thinner than 0.025mm from 1 June, market sources said on Wednesday.

While the plastics industry has already begun feeling the effects as consumption was expected to drop by two-thirds, the ban had created a new market for plastic bag substitutes, sources said.

There is an increasing demand for low-cost recyclable materials, and producers believed that non-woven fabric would fit the bill.

“Non-woven fabrics are made of non-woven textile in a relatively simple and short process. Cost of equipment and labour are much lower than absolute mechanical production,” a producer said.

In addition to being more wear-resistant and durable, non-woven fabric bags do not pollute the atmosphere as much as plastic bags, he added.

While polypropylene (PP) was the best alternative to produce non-woven fabric, existing conventional fibre could also be used, producers said.

A number of non-woven fabric producers in Quanzhou, southeastern Fujian province, have already begun increasing their capacities, with Jinjiang Xingtai Non-Woven Products Co recently launching a second line.

China was working to create relevant standards for the industry as there is no uniform standard for non-woven fabric, said Zhu Minru, an official of China Textile Industry Association.

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By: Dolly Wu
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