The global geosynthetics market size was valued at USD 14 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach a valuation of USD 24 billion by 2030. The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6% during the forecast period (2022–2030).
Artificial products used to stabilize the ground or basement are known as geosynthetics. These are polymer products designed to meet the challenges of civil engineering. Geogrids, geonets, geofoam, geotextiles, geomembranes, and geosynthetic clay are the primary product categories. The products' polymeric nature makes them suitable for use in the ground where long-term durability is required. These can also be used in open environments.
Geosynthetics come in many different shapes and materials. Airfields, canals, dams, roads, railroads, embankments, retaining structures, landfill liners, landfill covers, aquaculture, agriculture, and mining are among the many civil, geotechnical, transportation, geoenvironmental, hydraulic, and private development applications where these products are currently used.
Geonets and geocells are essential to protect the shoreline and encourage vegetative growth. This prevents soil erosion. Additionally, the market is anticipated to be driven by ongoing soil preservation projects in several economies, including South Africa, Spain, Canada, and India. The drainage issues have worsened by extremely high outflow losses from canals. In irrigation and other development projects, geosynthetics can effectively manage seepage issues. They are also employed in planning and developing low embankment dams, channels, and slope protection, as well as in managing seepage losses from channels and reservoirs.
Geosynthetics are used for road and pavement foundation strengthening, separation, and stability. These products are also used in dewatering, road base, and structure drainage subsurface drainage systems. Geotextiles are used to reinforce industrial buildings, parking lots, and new highways. Sustainable development, a minimal volume of earthwork, a low carbon footprint, and a faster building rate are all advantages of using geosynthetics. During the forecast period, growth in the construction industry in Asia-Pacific is expected to be a key driver for the geosynthetics market growth.
The overall capital project and infrastructure sector in Asia-Pacific are likely to climb at a rate of 7% to 8% per year over the forecast period, reaching USD 5.30 trillion by 2025, accounting for around 60% of the global market share. The construction of new structures and buildings in Asia is expected to boost the market growth.
The continuous demand for industrial, residential, and infrastructure expansion in China has resulted in the need for new construction projects. The Chinese government adopted the Western Development Plan in 2000, which resulted in domestic infrastructure development. Likewise, China's 13th Five Year Plan, which includes ambitions to create modern infrastructure while eliminating aging heavy industry, is likely to support growth. Over the forecast period, strong economic growth combined with the reduction of impediments to foreign investment in India is expected to drive the construction growth.
Thus, the market for geosynthetics is likely to be driven by the growth of the construction sector during the forecast period.
Rapid growth in population and urbanization are contributing to increasing amounts of liquid and solid waste worldwide. The demand for proper waste and water management projects increases as environmental consciousness grows. Geosynthetics are used as landfill covers to limit fluid migration into landfills by lowering or eliminating leachate formation and associated treatment expenses after landfill closure.
Due to growing public concern over serious and widespread water contamination, geosynthetics are frequently used in many water management activities. Waste treatment lagoons at wastewater treatment plants adopt geosynthetics liner systems to safeguard water resources such as ponds, reservoirs, aquifers, rivers, and lakes, which are anticipated to propel the demand for geosynthetics during the forecast period.
When employed for drainage, geotextiles are subject to clogging by organic wastes, sediments, fungi, algae, plant roots, slimes, and viscous petrochemical compounds. Amusement rides can cause organic riding surfaces such as bark or shredded wood to break down, and horse and pony droppings may produce an impenetrable bio-detritus layer.
If the covering layer above becomes displaced or is too shallow, geosynthetics can be shredded. The sheet may be irreparably damaged as a result of this ripping. Blocking, clogging, and tearing difficulties may necessitate the regular replacement of geotextile sheets, creating a constraint for market growth.
The mining industry is one of the largest users of geosynthetics. The mining sector should be driven by Asian Pacific’s demand for minerals and metals. China is a major producer of rare-earth metals, gold, copper, coal, limestone, and iron and steel, while India's iron and steel industry has seen tremendous investment. Likewise, significant global mining companies have turned to South America as a desirable location for mining investments.
For example, Brazil, Peru, and Chile have considerable mining capacities and have seen a surge in international investment over the last five years. During the forecast period, the geosynthetics market is likely to be driven by the increasing adoption of sophisticated mining technologies.
| Study Period | 2018-2030 | CAGR | 6% |
| Historical Period | 2018-2020 | Forecast Period | 2022-2030 |
| Base Year | 2021 | Base Year Market Size | USD 14 Billion |
| Forecast Year | 2030 | Forecast Year Market Size | USD 24 Billion |
| Largest Market | Asia Pacific | Fastest Growing Market | North America |
The global geosynthetics market share has been segregated into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Central and South America, and the Middle East and Africa.
With a market value of USD 12 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 8%, Asia-Pacific is expected to dominate the geosynthetics market. Due to rising per capita income and fast urbanization, the construction industry in developing countries such as Asia-Pacific is expected to surpass that in established nations.
The rising demand for geosynthetics is expected to be bumped up in the coming years by increased government investments in mega projects like China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Hong Kong Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, and Japan Maglev High-Speed Railway.
Rapid urbanization in developing countries like India and China is expected to increase the demand for soil reinforcement in residential building foundations. Government measures in India and China to enhance infrastructure development are likely to drive demand for geosynthetics even higher over the forecast period.
With an expected market value of USD 5 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 6%, North America is the second-largest market for geosynthetics. Natural disasters like storms and hurricanes are common in North America. Increased geosynthetics applications to restore landscapes damaged by natural catastrophes and control erosion during storms are predicted to boost product demand in this region. Furthermore, geosynthetics are likely to be employed mostly in maintenance projects such as roads, dams, drainage systems, and dumps, resulting in increased product demand in the region.
The United States and Canada mostly drive the infrastructure development in North America, where geosynthetic products are used widely in wastewater treatment applications. Canals, reservoirs, wastewater treatment facilities, road infrastructure, and other infrastructure have been redeveloped throughout the United States. This will benefit the geosynthetics market.
Over the forecast period, rising infrastructure projects in Central and South American developing economies, including Brazil, will likely increase geosynthetics use. The regional market is anticipated to grow due to increasing product usage in water management procedures. Brazil, Venezuela, and Argentina's booming offshore oil and gas industry is another factor propelling the regional market. Geosynthetics are finding a growing market in the Middle East and Africa. Over the forecast period, rising civil and commercial construction activities in the area, including the building of hotels and stadiums, are likely to increase demand for composite building materials like geosynthetics.
We can customize every report - free of charge - including purchasing stand-alone sections or country-level reports
Based on product, the geosynthetics market share has been segmented into geotextiles, geomembranes, geogrid, geonet, and geocells. The geotextiles product segment is expected to dominate the global market, and it is projected to reach USD 12 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 0.14% during the forecast period.
The superior performance and better qualities of the product compared to its competitors are expected to support massive growth over the forecast period. Therefore, it is widely used for separation, filtration, drainage, reinforcement, and protection. The geotextile product area is gaining appeal in infrastructure applications because of its durability, ease of use, and cost-effectiveness.
Furthermore, product technology advancements are anticipated to extend the product life cycle, which will assist the application industry. Combining optical fiber sensors with geotextiles for multifunction intelligence can support monitoring the health of geotechnical structures and reduce the risk of collapses and damage.
Geotextiles help hold soil in place while promoting plant growth. They play a vital role in mitigating and preventing soil erosion. The research on using geotextiles to prevent soil erosion under unpredictably climatic settings should help promote their use in the erosion control application segment.
The use of geotextile in asphalt pavements block is expected to grow significantly as more and more populations become aware of its advantages. Furthermore, geotextiles are employed as part of the road foundation because of their ability to help strengthen poor soil by binding it together, extending the road's life span. The demand for products is expected to rise as road infrastructure projects in Asia-Pacific and Central and South America grows.
Drainage geotextiles operate as a permeable divider, allowing water to pass through to the drainage system. Additionally, by separating other contaminants and soil from water, these fabrics help prevent clogging of the drainage system. Drainage geotextiles are mostly used in developed regions of North America and Europe to improve drainage system longevity and efficiency.
Drainage system development is part of the infrastructure development in developing countries. As a result, the demand for geotextiles increases significantly in these countries. Furthermore, by replacing traditional drainage layers and granular filters with geotextiles, geotextiles provide economic and environmental benefits, increasing product penetration in drainage applications.
Due to their exceptional bearing capacity, geogrids are used more frequently in constructing railway and road infrastructure to reinforce the structural base over soft soils. Additionally, geogrids are used in retaining walls to reinforce bridges and railroad abutments. As a result, throughout the forecast period, the factors above are anticipated to support market growth. Geonets are used as separation media in the collection of landfill leachates, drainage systems for foundation walls, pavement and road drainage systems, and methane gas collection. Due to its ability to slow down surface runoff, the product's increasing penetration in erosion control will likely support the sector's growth.
For in-plane drainage of liquids or gases, a geonet is a geosynthetic material with a structure similar to a geogrid and made of integrally connected parallel sets of ribs that are layered over similar sets at various angles. Drainage geocomposites are geonets that have had geotextiles laminated onto one or both of their surfaces. They compete favorably with drainage geocomposites with various core arrangements.
To stabilize steep slopes and stop erosion, a geocell is a three-dimensional cellular structure that can be filled with soil, gravel, or other materials. They can adapt to the terrain because of their high-density polyethylene (HDPE) construction and open cellular structure.
The outburst of the Covid-19 pandemic had an adverse effect on the aviation industry with the travel restrictions imposed all over the world. The imposed lockdown led to the shutdown of major operations that earn business. With the preventive measures and the lockdown, people were restricted from getting out of their homes, so it was evident that flight travel was not even an option. This led the aviation industry to huge losses as there was no option from where revenue could be generated as all the passengers, and commercial flights were on the standby mode.
With this, the entire aviation industry, including the aerospace parts manufacturing industry, came to a sudden halt with no passengers. The flights were not allowed to take off for more than six months in some regions, and in countries like India and China, the said period was near about a year. International flights were completely banned to prevent the spread of the disease, which led the global aviation industry to fall back to the lowest figures in its history. The entire revenue generation model of the aviation industry was stopped and made to carry huge debts for the majority of the airlines operating around the world.
