US cleaning chemicals market to reach $ 11.5 bn in 2018

Demand for industrial and institutional (I&I) cleaning chemicals in the US is forecast to rise more than three percent per year through 2018 to $11.5 billion, according to the Freedonia Group Inc study, ‘Industrial & Institutional Cleaning Chemicals’. Accelerating growth will reflect a strengthening economy, with nearly every market expanding at a pace exceeding that of the 2008-2013 period.  

 

“While economic growth will provide the foundation for rising demand. Infection related health concerns will drive some of the fastest advances, particularly for disinfectants and sanitisers in the food and beverage processing industry and in healthcare facilities,” explained Nick Cunningham, Analyst, Freedonia Group.

 

More broadly, concerns about worker health and safety, along with an ongoing rise in public preference for environmentally friendly solutions, will lead to businesses increasing their use of greener, ecofriendly alternatives. The fastest advances will be in institutional markets, though tight government budgets will act as a restraint. More modest growth in commercial applications will reflect general market maturity. 

 

Healthy growth in cleaning chemical demand in the manufacturing market will principally reflect rising consumption in the food and beverage industry, where ongoing concerns about widely publicised foodborne illness outbreaks, coupled with a healthy industry recovery, will continue to support increased product usage rates. Growth will also be supported by gains in other manufacturing industries, including fabricated metal processing and machinery production. In the institutional market, gains in cleaning chemical demand will reflect efforts by the healthcare industry to reduce the incidence rate of healthcare-associated infections, especially from multiple-antibiotic-resistant bacteria.  

 

The commercial market is the biggest outlet for I&I cleaning chemicals. Commercial applications will register the largest net value gains during this period due to the sheer size of the commercial market, which includes foodservice, laundry and dry cleaning, offices, and retail outlets. Hotels and lodging will realise the fastest increases in cleaning chemical demand among commercial markets, with the strengthening economy driving both increases in occupancy rates and continued industry expansion.