Flock Adhesives Market

Market Overview

The global flock adhesives market size was worth USD 2 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach USD 4 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 6% during the forecast period (2022–2030). 

Adhesive flocking is a method that includes electrostatic or mechanically incorporating small fibers into adhesive layers. Flocked fibers, commonly utilized in the textile industry, are the outcome of this process. Adhesive flocking can be done in various ways, including spraying, rolling, brushing, or dipping. Automobiles, textiles, cosmetics, industrial technologies, home & household, paper & packaging, construction, furniture, and textile all employ flock adhesives.

Factors such as the increased use of flock adhesives in the textile industry have contributed to the market's growth. Furthermore, its attributes such as environmental friendliness, elasticity, softness, scratch resistance, and stability are significant growth drivers in the global market. Again, the increased use of flock adhesives in the furniture industry to produce upholstery fabrics with higher abrasion resistance propels the market forward. These factors are expected to boost demand for flock adhesives during the forecast period.

Market Dynamics

Drivers: Increase in Demand for Flock Adhesives in Automotive Sector

Flock adhesives are excellent adhesives that can bond dissimilar fibers/materials. It possesses significant properties such as high bonding strength, light-weight, chemically inertness, and flame resistance, making it a perfect choice as an adhesive substrate for the automobile sector. In addition, properties such as better-engineered design, ease of comfort & flexibility, resistance to vibration, and stress distribution qualities attract car manufacturers toward using flock adhesives as an adhesive substrate. It is primarily used in interior areas of vehicles such as gloveboxes, seats, armrests, center consoles, and engine insulation, which, in turn, propels the market growth. 

There is a rise in preference among consumers toward buying a comfortable and safe car these days. In addition, the hike in fuel prices has led consumers to look for lightweight vehicles capable of giving more mileage. This has attracted vehicle manufacturers such as Hyundai, Renault, and Toyota toward flock adhesives to meet required specifications. For example, the product SikaTherm® a high-quality flocking substrate, has reported a surge in demand among automotive manufacturers.

Drivers: Flock Printing to Surge the Market Growth

Flock printing involves flock adhesives to adhere to fiber/material surfaces with other surfaces. In flock printing, small cotton, nylon, polyester, and wool fibers are electrostatically charged and anchored with other adhesive-coated characters under heat application. Flock printing uses ink for printing designs over textiles, decorative papers, t-shirts, and wooden boards.

Attributed to increasing awareness of fashion and styling among individuals, demand for flock printed garments, decorative papers, and wooden boards has increased dramatically. In addition, youngsters in countries such as China and India are more attracted to printed t-shirts and other textile garments made by flock printing technology. Thus, such factors are expected to propel the demand for flock printing technology, which is expected to boost the market growth.

Restraint: Health Issues Associated with Flock Adhesives

Flock adhesives are used to create textile fabrics into a specific velvet-like texture. It involves using very small flock fibers such as nylon, acrylic adhesives, zeolites, and tannic acid. Inhalation of these materials by flock workers causes interstitial lung diseases. The infection can be moderate or severe based on the exposure limit. For instance, a lower explosive limit leads to cracking of voice, shortness of breath (dyspnea), and coughing, whereas long exposure may lead to chronic pneumonia and bronchiolitis. These health-related disorders associated with flock adhesives hamper the growth of the flock adhesives market.

What Are Future Growth Opportunities in Global Flock Adhesives Market?

• Packaging Sectors to Open Opportunities for Flock Adhesives Market

Flock adhesives provide a smooth velvet-like texture to packaging items, making them a perfect choice for jewelry packaging. In addition, consumers in developed and developing economies have become more linear toward buying packed items that impart a luxury touch. This propels the growth of the flock adhesives market. In addition, Asia-Pacific reported an increase in demand for jewelry that may create lucrative opportunities for the flock adhesives market in the future.

Regional Analysis

Region-wise, the global flock adhesives market share is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA.

Asia-Pacific is the dominant region and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 4.4% during the forecast period. The characteristics of flock adhesives, such as moisture-resistance, non-brittle nature, flame resistance, and stain resistance, make them suitable for use in plastics and polymeric sectors. Moreover, flock adhesives are widely used in concrete and wood carpeting in modern theme-based buildings to impart a glossy finish to wooden & concrete designs. Thus, the rise in construction activities in developing economies such as China, India, and South Korea is predicted to propel the market growth in this region. According to statistics by Asia-Pacific Packaging Committee, the decorative packaging industry has reported a net increase in sales by 18.7% in the year 2020, owing to the rise in demand for packed items due to the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the packaging sector is expected to provide lucrative opportunities for the Asia-Pacific flock adhesives market.

Europe is the second-largest and fastest-growing region. It is estimated to reach an expected USD 852 million by 2030 at a CAGR of 5.9% during the forecast period. Water-based flock adhesives can be used effectively in the textile sector owing to their ability to be used along with a wide range of natural & synthetic fabrics; they can be heat cured easily and softened. It is the key market trend in the flock adhesives market in Europe. In addition, these adhesives are designed to offer improved screen stability, enhanced flocking time, durability, and improved washability of fabrics. The textile sector is the major consumer of flock adhesives in the UK., which is attributed to large garment manufacturers in this country and the rise in the export of garments & clothing products. These factors are expected to augment the demand for flock adhesives in the region. For instance, according to a report by Textile Infomedia, there are around 10 million looms across the UK., and the textile sector plays an essential role in the growth of its economy. Hence, such factors are anticipated to propel market growth in this region.

North America is the third largest region. Flock adhesives provide smooth, luxurious, light-weight, and improved energy efficiency to vehicles. It is the key market trend in the North American flock adhesives market. Flock adhesives-based fibers provide excellent properties such as light-weight, comfort & flexibility, chemical inertness, and improved vehicle mileage. For instance, SikaTherm®, a high-quality flocking substrate, has reported a surge in demand among automotive manufacturers. The automotive sector in the U.S. is increasing; in 2018, U.S. light-vehicle sales reached 17.2 million units. In addition, key players in the automotive industry are widely adopting flock adhesives in automotive interiors such as fiber insulations, seats, dashboards, gloveboxes, center consoles, and armrests, which adds to the growth of the global market in this region. Flock adhesives possess excellent bonding strength, uniform length, and good fibered grip, making them compelling to be used as adhesive substrates in textiles. Flock adhesive-based fibers provide exceptional properties such as smooth texture, improved fibered grip, and resistance to bounces & scratches. The utilization of flock adhesives in textile sectors such as garments, carpets & floorings, coverings, and greeting cards, is predicted to offer new opportunities for the global market.

Segmental Analysis

The global flock adhesives market share is segmented based on resin type, application, and region. 

• On the Basis of Resin Type

By resin type, the global flock adhesives market is classified into acrylic, polyurethanes, epoxy resins, and others. The acrylic segment was the highest contributor to the market and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 6% during the projected period. Acrylic flock adhesives include enhanced bonding with low-energy substrates, including PVC foils, polyester, polystyrene, and coated cellophanes. Together with paper and board makes, acrylic flock adhesives increase their adoption. Acrylic-based flock adhesives provide excellent properties such as heat & water resistance and stain resistance. The rise in the use of acrylic flock adhesives in sectors such as polymers fibers and others is the primary key market trend in the global market. The characteristics such as wear & abrasion resistance and non-toxic and easy fix qualities attract the plastic and polymer manufacturers toward acrylic-based flock adhesives. This may act as one of the critical drivers of increasing demand for the flock adhesives market among growing plastic industries. 

The polyurethane segment is the fastest-growing market. Polyurethane-based flock adhesives provide excellent properties such as heat & water resistance, durability, and stain resistance. Utilization of polyurethane-based flock adhesives in sectors such as plastic, polymers fibers, and textiles are major key market trends in the global market. For instance, 5399Aqueous Polyurethane, a high-quality polyurethane-based flocking adhesive substrate mainly used for PVC and plastics, has reported a surge in demand among plastic and polymer sectors. Characteristics such as wear & abrasion resistance, non-toxic, and easy fix qualities attract plastic and polymer manufacturers toward polyurethane-based flock adhesives. This may act as one of the key drivers resulting in a rise in demand for polyurethane-based flock adhesives among growing plastic and polymeric industries. 

Epoxy-based flock adhesive is the second largest segment. It provides excellent properties such as bonding all materials, high bonding strength, toughness, and heat & chemical resistance. The primary key market trend is the utilization of epoxy resin-based flock adhesives in sectors such as automotive, plastic & polymers, metallurgy, and glass industries. For instance, CPH5 and CPR5, a high-quality epoxy-resin-based adhesive substrate mainly used for plastics, metals, and glass, have reported a surge in demand in the automotive and metallurgy sectors. Characteristics such as light-weight, strong & durable, and heat & chemical resistance make it a perfect choice for automobile manufacturers. These adhesives are widely used in dashboards, roof interiors, and electric inside rearview mirror (IRVM) vehicles. In addition, the rise in demand for light-weight vehicles where epoxy-based flock adhesives play an essential role in reducing the overall weight of a car is expected to witness an increase in demand in the growing automobile industry. 

• On the Basis of Application

Depending on the application, the global flock adhesives market is segregated into automotive, textiles, paper & packaging, and others. The textiles segment was the highest contributor to the market and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 5.6% during the forecast period. The primary key market trend is the utilization of flock adhesives in textile sectors such as garments, carpets & floorings, coverings, and greeting cards. For instance, flock printing technology is widely used to impart velvet-like texture to adhesive coated surfaces of fabrics such as cotton, nylon, and polyester Characteristics such as eye-catchy texture, smooth grip, and wear & abrasion resistance make textile manufacturers more linear to produce flock adhesive-based fabric products. In addition, demand for attractive fabrics is on the rise, owing to awareness regarding fashion & styling. Flock adhesives play a significant role in improving fabric texture, which is expected to propel the demand for textiles during the forecast period. 

The automotive segment is the second-largest and fastest-growing segment. Flock adhesive-based fibers provide excellent properties such as light-weight, comfort & flexibility, chemical inertness, and improved vehicle mileage. The primary key market trend is the utilization of flock adhesives in automotive interiors such as fiber insulations, seats, dashboards, gloveboxes, center consoles, and armrests. For instance, SikaTherm®, a high-quality flocking substrate, has reported a surge in demand among automotive manufacturers. Characteristics such as odor control, light-weight, enhanced life cycle, and smooth touch of the fiber make it suitable to be used in the interior of cars and other vehicles. This propels the demand for flock adhesives in the growing automotive sector. 

Paper and packaging is the third-largest segment. Flock adhesives-based papers and packaging items provide excellent properties such as eye-catchy appearance, clean & crisp printing on all colors, and high bonding strength. Implementing flock adhesives in industries like decorative papers, advertising banners, and packaging papers is the primary key market trend in the global market. For instance, F58O6LV, a highly versatile and humidity-resistant paper-based flock adhesive, reported a surge in demand in the paper & packaging sectors. The decorative packaging industry has reported a net increase in sales by 18.7% in 2020, owing to the need for packed items due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, to attract customers, manufacturers have started packaging their products with innovative designs by use of flock adhesives. Thus, a rise in competition in sales and product packaging among manufacturers is expected to create lucrative opportunities for the flock adhesives market for the paper & packaging sector.

Recent Developments

• May 2022 - Sika has agreed to sell Aliva Equipment, a Swiss firm that makes shotcrete equipment, to Normet Group Oy, a Finnish worldwide company that makes subterranean construction solutions.
• March 2022 - Sika acquires Sable Marco Inc., a Canadian cementitious and mortars manufacturer. The complementing acquisition, based in Pont Rouge, near Québec City, will open up new potential for Sika in the Eastern part of Canada and significantly boost Sika's access to the retail distribution channel. The purchased company generates CHF 20 million in annual revenue.