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On a regional basis, polyurethane foam demand is relatively close to production
because trade is comparatively small. Even within the United States, supply
geographically follows demand very closely, especially for flexible products.
Approximately 60% of world consumption is for flexible foam.
Several thousand producers in the world manufacture polyurethane foams, frequently
at multiple plant locations. Most foam producers concentrate their efforts
on either flexible or rigid foam because the markets and technologies are quite
different. In recent years, the industry has witnessed a consolidation process,
primarily in the United States and Western Europe. Current production capacity
for both flexible and rigid polyurethane foams is adequate to meet demand.
Flexible polyurethane foam is used primarily as a cushioning material in furniture,
transportation and bedding applications. Rigid polyurethane foam is utilized
mainly as an insulation material in construction and refrigeration applications.
One area of globalization is in the automotive seating industry—the
major players operate in several regions of the world. Global producers (including
alliances) of flexible slabstock foams are also developing but to a lesser
extent.
The following pie chart shows world consumption of polyurethane foams in 2004:
For most regions of the world, demand for flexible polyurethane foams is
expected to grow at an average annual rate of about 2–5% from 2004
to 2009. Demand for rigid foams will grow at a faster rate than demand for
flexible foams.
During the 1990s, the polyurethane foam industry met the challenge of replacing
conventional fluorocarbon blowing agents with materials that do not destroy
the ozone layer when they are released into the atmosphere. Hydrochlorofluorocarbon
(HCFC) blowing agents play an important role in controlling product quality
during the manufacture of polyurethane foams. The Montreal Protocol (an international
agreement concerning the ozone layer) and subsequent international agreements
call for a phasedown in production of these blowing agents by the end of
the 1990s for developed countries and by 2010 in developing countries.
The new HCFC blowing agents for foam blowing applications include
HCFC-141b (C2H3FCl2), HCFC-142b (C2H3F2Cl), HCFC-22 (CHF2Cl), HFC-134a
(C2H2F4) and HFC-152a (C2H4F2), but these also faced a phaseout period in
2003 (for “developed” countries)
or 2020 (depending on the specific region and/or product). However, a combination
of new blowing agents (HFC-134a, HCFC-245fa, HFC-365mfc, blends and hydrocarbons,
CO2 and water-blown systems), machinery and foaming technologies will be
developed to ensure a supply of quality polyurethane foams.
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