US-based Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA), a trade association representing the nonwoven fabrics industry, has entered into a collaboration with the Indian Jute Industries Research Association (IJIRA), for development of nonwovens and technical textiles, particularly suitable for use in the automobile sector.
INDA recently formed a special committee for exploring business opportunities in India, with a view to foster ties between US-based companies in nonwoven fabrics and their Indian counterparts.
According to Seshadri Ramkumar, associate professor of the Institute of Environmental and Human Health of the Texas Tech University, and chairman of the India committee at INDA, the association, along with IJIRA, will approach major car makers with facilities in India for usage of nonwoven jute products, as replacement of polyester and polypoplene in the auto components sector.
Generally, about 20kg of textile material is used per car, and jute being bio-degradable, was ideal for use in cars, said Ramkumar, who was recently awarded the technical textiles accomplishment award in Coimbatore for his efforts to popularise non-woven textiles in India.
According to estimates of INDA, the current per capita consumption of nonwovens in India was less than 100 gram, whereas in developed markets like the US and Europe, it was around 3.5 kilograms.
India's technical textiles industry was estimated to be worth $12-15 billion by 2012, representing 10 per cent of the global value.
INDA predicted that India's growth in technical textiles in the next two decades would be faster than that in the US and Europe in the last three decades.
However, the machinery required for nonwoven textiles was costlier than traditional spinning machines. The current use of non woven textiles in India was close to 60,000 ton per annum.
INDA predicted the industry could be worth $35 billion by 2035.
