Record year for fibres

According to preliminary estimates, global fibre production for textiles and nonwovens climbed by 4.1% to a record 79.1 million tons in 2011, driven by the rapid population growth and increase in prosperity in emerging markets.

Cotton production increased by 6.7% to 26.8 million tons, with the total cotton harvest back to the comparable record levels achieved in 2006 and 2007, but it is now not expected to substantially surpass these yields. Experts believe there will be little cotton production growth in the coming years due to the limited availability of arable land. In addition, China has already announced a 10% reduction in the land it will dedicate to cotton cultivation for 2012.

Worldwide cotton cultivation competes intensively with acreage devoted to more productive plants such as soybeans and various grains required to fulfil the growing demand for food, feed and biofuels.
Wool production, meanwhile, stagnated at one million tons, while preliminary figures show an increase in global chemical fibre production of 2.9% for 2011, to 51.2 million tons, again setting a new record.
Polyester accounted for close to three-quarters (73%) of total chemical fibre production. The comparable figures for manmade cellulose fibers – viscose, Modal, lyocell, acetate etc. – show production rising by 4.2% in 2011 to a new record level of 4.6 million tons.