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Fibers discussed in this product review include natural fibers (cotton and
wool) and man-made fibers (synthetic fibers and cellulosic fibers).
The following pie charts show world consumption of natural and man-made fibers
by region in 2005.
Cotton accounts for 40% of total world fiber consumption. World cotton production
and consumption are increasing rather slowly because available land to grow
this crop is limited. Wool accounts for 2% of total world fiber consumption.
Wool production and consumption have stayed at the same level for years. Synthetic
fibers account for 54% of total world fiber consumption. World synthetic fiber
production and consumption are increasing, mainly in China and other Asian
countries. Cellulosic fibers account for 4% of total world fiber consumption.
Cellulosic fiber production and consumption are decreasing in advanced countries
and increasing in China and other Asian countries. Overall, world production
and consumption are increasing at 2–3% per year.
Consumption in China and Other Asia (including India) accounted for 69% of
world consumption in 2005 and is still increasing. Consumption in the United
States, Western Europe and Japan accounted for only 15% of world consumption.
Fibers are consumed for apparel, home products (such as bed sheets, curtains
and towels), carpets and industrial applications (such as tire cord).
Consumption of synthetic fibers has moved from the United States and Western
Europe to China and other Asian countries. Many well-known fiber producers
in the United States and Western Europe have sold their synthetic fiber businesses.
Most of the synthetic fiber plants that were owned by DuPont, Hoechst, Allied
Signal, Akzo, Monsanto, etc. are now being operated by different companies.
At the same time, Asian producers such as Sinopec (China), Formosa Plastics
(Taiwan and the United States) and Reliance (India) have become the biggest
producers in the world.
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