Domestic technical textiles Industry Segment-wise consumption of ...

The baby diaper market in India is quite oligopolistic in nature; the marketing of baby diapers in India
is limited to a few large companies. The baby diapers marketed in India are primarily imported and
repackaged for sale. The major brands like Huggies (Kimberley Clark Lever), Pampers (Procter and
Gamble), Snuggy (Godrej-SCA) and Wipro Baby Soft cover more than 95% of the domestic market.
The key suppliers of non-woven for baby diapers in India are Unimin India Ltd. and Fiberweb Pvt.
Ltd.
Manufacturer Year Product Production Installed
quantity** capacity
Unimin 2007-08 SBPF 165 MT*
Fiberweb India
Non-woven
Jan-Dec, 2007 fabrics
(spunbond)**
3,312 MT 4,000 MT
Source: Asian CERC, Annual reports, Industry survey
* The production of SBPF at Unimin India has dropped from 2,243 MT in 2005-06 to 165 MT in 2007-
08 because of on-going operational issues in the plant.
**The non-woven fabric is sold for other applications also
Consumption norms and the market size
The non-woven fabric is 20-25 GSM and accounts for close to 12-15% by weight of the diaper i.e.
around 3-4 grams per diaper. With an average weight of 30-35 grams per diaper the total baby diaper
tonnage in 2007-08 is approximately 5900 MT.
Non-woven consumption norms (baby diaper industry)
Diaper usage (million pieces) 350
Amount of non-woven per diaper (gms) 3 to 3.5
% of non-woven by weight (average) ~10%
Total non-woven used (Tonnes) 1,150
Source:Godrej-SCA, The Indian Textile Journal, Industry survey, IMaCS Analysis
With an average price of Rs. 10-12 per piece, the diaper market by volume in India is approximately
350 million pieces (the diapers are available in three sizes small, medium and extra large based on the
baby’s age). The value of the non-woven fabric in the diaper is approximately Rs. 11.5 crore and
expected to grow with increased penetration of diaper usage.
The diaper market in India is growing at the rate of 5%-10% year on year.