Protective Clothing Market for Life Sciences Industry

Market Overview

The global protective clothing market size for life sciences industry was valued at USD 3.65 billion in 2022. It is expected to reach a predicted value of USD 6.60 billion by 2031, registering a CAGR of 6.8% over the forecast period (2023-2031).

A piece of clothing or equipment designated as protective clothing protects the wearer's body from harm or infection and addresses threats, including heat, chemicals, biohazards, and airborne particle matter. The goal of protective clothing in the life sciences industry is to limit and protect the healthcare worker's exposure to hazards posed by fire and heat, chemical exposure, and ultraviolet radiation, among others, when engineering and administrative controls cannot reduce the risks to an acceptable level. According to Food and Drug Administration, the US market share of the global pharmaceutical industry is almost 40%. New markets, such as the Chinese, Southeast Asian, Eastern European, and Latin American markets, have started to emerge. This creates a unique opportunity for protective clothing in emerging markets in the pharmaceutical sector.

Market Dynamics

Global Protective Clothing Market for Life Sciences Industry Drivers

Strict Regulatory Standards About Patient Safety

Healthcare workers in the industry are constantly subjected to various safety and health hazards in the medical office, which can result in possible injuries. Workplace safety is considered an important issue for the institutions in this industry, and employers are mandated to provide a safe environment. 

Employers must abide by safety and health standards and laws imposed by OSHA or a state plan that OSHA has approved by the OSH Act. This includes a multistep compliance process for protecting healthcare workers, covering everything from handling X-ray machines to protocols dealing with infectious agents and diseases under prevention control guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Similarly, the Labor Ministry of the Philippines has enacted rules and regulations under Republic Act No. 11058 about occupational safety and health standards. Violation of following the set rules could attract a penalty.

The factors mentioned above highlight the strict implementation of regulations for workplace safety is expected to spearhead the demand for protective clothing in the industry during the forecast period.

Growth in Biotechnology and Healthcare Spending

A piece of clothing or equipment designated as protective clothing is made to protect the wearer's body from harm or infection and address threats, including heat, chemicals, biohazards, and airborne particle matter. Historical data from the World Economic Forum suggests a significant interrelation between healthcare costs and chronic conditions. With each chronic condition, average medical payments have risen by more than double, thus, indicating the rise in annual healthcare costs.

Healthcare budgets are allocated by the governments in the respective countries and redirected into further R&D. The prognosis for the industry is generally favorable due to the rise in chronic diseases and the requirement for R&D. According to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), in 2020, the NHE of the United States increased by 9.7% to USD 4.1 trillion or USD 12,530 each person and accounted for 19.7% of gross domestic product (GDP). Furthermore, the country's national health expenditure is predicted to grow at an average annual rate of 5.4% for 2019-28 and reach USD 6.2 trillion by 2028. The biotechnology market is also witnessing ongoing progress and developments in multiple segments to overcome the burden of these chronic conditions. This is expected to foster the growth of the biotechnology industry.

Global Protective Clothing Market for Life Sciences Industry Restraint

Rising Need for Outsourcing and Automation in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

Pharmaceutical manufacturing is one of the largest sources of demand for protective clothing in the life sciences industry. However, the pharmaceutical industry is increasingly using robotics to automate specific processes in drug development, including drug screening, anti-counterfeiting, and manufacturing tasks, thus, restricting the growth of the market studied. Automated machines have a significant history of providing increased safety at the workplace and more efficient workflow. The rise in automation has transformed the pharmaceutical industry.

Many advantages include higher speed and accuracy, more flexibility, and reliability; automation and machine learning are applied hand in hand to ensure that products are packed in the correct bottles and boxes, with the proper labeling affixed. The increased use of robots has been particularly significant in dispensing, sorting, kit assembly, and light machine tending. The increasing use of automated machinery in various phases of the pharmaceutical industry ensures greater accuracy and reliability. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) encourages the adoption of cutting-edge automation equipment and more innovative manufacturing practices. This is posing a critical challenge to the growth of the market.

Global Protective Clothing Market for Life Sciences Industry Opportunities

The emergence of Wearable Sensor Technology and the Development of Nanotechnology

The emergence of wearable sensor technology and the development of nanotechnology can help workers take more responsibility for their health and safety. Integrating these sensors into personal protective equipment can give them minute details about potentially dangerous situations. The development of such smart PPE requires a collaborative approach, standards, and regulatory frameworks, as such devices may expose organizations to risks such as cyberattacks and data theft. It also creates significant opportunities for organizations to collect data differently and use them to extract better results. Such developments fuel the market growth. 

Regional Analysis

By region, the global protective clothing market for life sciences industry is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest of the World LAMEA)

North America dominated the market and is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 6.4% during the forecast period. The life sciences industry of the United States is one of the leading drivers of employment in the country. The US biotechnology market is led by venture capital investments and job growth in the overall life sciences industry. The biopharma industry also creates substantial jobs making it an important sector. The heightened demand for PPE caused by the pandemic led to significant shortages posing a massive challenge to the country’s healthcare system. The country has been at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic due to its lack of facilities for protective equipment. Hence, the nation was forced to implement an export embargo on protective apparel and to import it from several other nations. efforts aimed at preventing and controlling infections in the US healthcare and public health sectors. The healthcare continuum, which includes 6,000 hospitals, 15,400 nursing homes, 7,900 dialysis clinics, other long-term care facilities, 4,700 ambulatory surgery centers, and other outpatient settings, is expected to benefit from improvements in infection prevention. Such advantageous investments are anticipated to aid in the market's expansion.

Asia-Pacific is the second largest region. It is expected to reach an estimated value of USD 2070 million by 2031, registering a CAGR of 6.8%. The number of hospitals has mainly increased in China, with 25,400 hospitals in 2020. The Shandong province has the highest number of hospitals in China, with 2,451 hospitals, followed by the Sichuan province, with 2,219 hospitals. The medical sector of China further employed 11.75 million. The increasing number of hospitals and significant employment in the sector indicate the high usage of protective clothing by healthcare professionals in hospitals in China. China has the most significant healthcare industry in the world, primarily due to its aging population. China is a substantial contributor to intermediate manufacturing. There are many regulatory changes inside China, such as allowing drugs to be approved with contract manufacturing, which significantly affects the global pharma supply and makes Chinese CMOs more attractive. This provides lucrative opportunities for the protective clothing market.

Europe is the third largest region. The rising demand for medical equipment has aided economic growth in the sector and encouraged the German government to enhance its investment in new medical technology. The region's thriving pharmaceutical sector also contributes to the expansion of the protective gear market in Germany since it is one of the top research destinations for pharmaceutical businesses, with multiple corporations now operating facilities for active component or galenic research. Cancer, cardiovascular illnesses, metabolic disorders (e.g., type 2 diabetes), and Alzheimer's disease are among the critical ailments studied by firms. Furthermore, one of the primary factors driving demand for protective clothing is the German government's strict laws regulating the usage of protective equipment by businesses for the health and safety of employees, as well as a nominal rise in many end-user sectors.

Segmental Analysis

The global protective clothing market for life sciences industry is segmented by product, type, application, and region.

By product, the global protective clothing market for life sciences industry is segmented into suits/coveralls, gloves, facemasks and hats, protective eyewear and cleanroom goggles, aprons, footwear and overshoes, wipes, and other products. Gloves are among the items that are usually utilized as single-use items. The gloves segment dominated the market and is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 7.4% during the forecast period. Their comfort makes natural (latex) rubber gloves a common choice for all-purpose use. They have exceptional tensile strength, flexibility, and temperature resistance. The majority of aqueous solutions of acids, alkalis, salts, and ketones, as well as abrasions caused by grinding and polishing, are all substances that these gloves shield workers' hands from. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, around one million workers are admitted to hospitals yearly with hand injuries. Approximately 110,000 of those injuries result in lost time. The increasing number of injuries and surgeries indicates the need for gloves to be worn while operating them. This makes the usage of gloves in the Lifesciences sector necessary and boosts market growth.

By type, the global protective clothing market for life sciences industry is segmented into disposable and reusable. The disposable segment dominated the market and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 7.5% during the forecast period. A broad product range of disposable sleeve covers, shoe covers, aprons, hairnets, beard covers, glasses, earplugs, masks, and more are used to protect the skin, eye, ear, and mouth from hazards during several medical procedures. Therefore, disposable protective products are in demand for jobs that deal with irritants or cross-contamination, where there is a need to keep them protected. This contributes to the overall demand for disposable protective products. Gloves, for instance, are used only once and are a must for invasive procedures, including contact with sterile sites, non-intact skin, or mucous membranes, and all activities carrying a risk of exposure to blood, body fluid, or infectious respired aerosols or droplets. Such specific needs for disposable products push the demand for this segment in the studied market.

By application, the global protective clothing market for life sciences industry is segmented into cleanroom clothing (pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical), bacterial/viral protection, radiation protection, chemical protection, and other applications. The cleanroom clothing segment dominated the market and is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 6.8% during the forecast period. Within cleanroom clothing, the pharmaceutical segment dominated the market and is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 6.9% during the forecast period. Exposures to pharmaceutical chemicals have long been recognized to have positive and negative effects on human health. While the potential therapeutic benefits of drugs outweigh the risks of side effects for patients, exposing the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare workers to the same side effects is unacceptable. For instance, the workers' exposure to oestrogenic compounds used in the manufacture of oral contraceptive tablets and tablets intended for estrogen replacement therapy causes gynecomastia, decreased libido among male workers, and menstrual disorders (increased flow or inter-menstrual spotting) among female workers. As a response, the directives and guidelines of manufacturing, handling, and packaging that regulate the pharmaceutical industry, such as those created by the FDA, WHO, or the European Union, are becoming more stringent every year, notably when it comes to sterile product manufacturing. The strict regulations for workers' protection in the pharmaceutical industry, such as the regulations imposed by the US Department of Labor and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), have propelled the growth of the protective clothing market in the industry.

Recent Developments

• November 2022 – The Corporate Coalition for Innovation & Technology toward Net Zero (CCITNZ), a cross-sector business alliance dedicated to assisting nations in meeting decarbonization and climate change goals through innovation and technology, was officially launched today by a coalition of six multinational corporations. Since its founding in late 2021, CCITNZ has been active in the background.
• October 2022 - A pioneer in energy and climate change solutions, Honeywell (NASDAQ: HON), today announced the introduction of its Environmental Sustainability Index. The index is the first quarterly measure of significant developments in the global fight against climate change and other sustainable development projects. A Harvard Business Review survey from August shows that two-thirds of the S&P 500 have established some carbon reduction goals.