TEXTILES.ORG
A report from research firm MarketsandMarkets says that the cooling fabrics market is projected to grow to from $2.70 billion in 2024 to $4.08 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 7.1 percent. The market for cooling fabrics is on the rise due to the need for high-performance textiles in many applications, such as sportswear, healthcare and industrial workwear.
Innovative technologies such as phase-change materials (PCMs) and microencapsulation are advancing. They are paving the way for developing new, advanced fabric-efficient technologies, often featuring superior moisture and temperature management, to satisfy rising environmental concerns for more sustainable and eco-friendly cooling fabrics. They also capture the rising interest in health and comfort in hot climates, especially in the Asia-Pacific region and in other tropical countries.
The synthetic segment, which would be most accepted across several sectors from 2024 to 2030, is expected to take the largest market for cooling fabrics. Those cooling fabrics are primarily made of synthetic fibers such as polyester, nylon and spandex, which are lightweight, durable, and have moisture-wicking properties.
Synthetics can provide excellent comfort and breathability and are well-suited for sportswear, performance and activewear, where cooling and moisture management are the issues. Furthermore, it can be easily modified for advanced engineered cooling technologies, such as microencapsulation or phase-change materials (PCMs), to enhance the cooling capacity further.
The growth of the synthetic segment would primarily benefit from its affordability and mass production economics, making it available and financially viable for manufacturers and consumers. Along with the increasing demand for cooling solutions in healthcare textiles, industrial workwear and outdoor apparel, synthetic fabrics would thus continue to be a relevant segment in the domain.
The flexibility of these broad market segments, coupled with progressive trends in textile technologies, practically ensures the supremacy of this segment across the cooling fabrics market during the entire forecast period from 2023 to 2030.
Among textile types, the woven type will likely be second in the cooling fabrics market in the coming years. The excellent durability, strength, and versatility of woven fabrics have made them popular in sportswear, outdoor apparel, and industrial workwear applications. Due to breathability and moisture management properties, they are significant in cooling textiles, specifically.
There is a massive increase in demand for performance-oriented, functional apparel due to the latest advancements in textile technologies that fuel the usage of cooling woven fabrics. The utilization of woven fabrics in different applications, such as temperature management in healthcare and military applications, also encourages the growth of woven fabrics. The primary shift in consumer preference toward high-performance and sustainability textiles will drive the market.
It is anticipated that protective wear will emerge through application, the highest growth segment by value in the cooling fabrics market during the projected period. This is chiefly due to the increasing necessity for personal protective equipment (PPE) in the manufacturing, construction and healthcare industries. As temperatures soar and work in these hot-and-humid conditions, workers in dangerous environments are open to discovering better cooling solutions to enhance comfort, relieve heat stress, and boost productivity.
The growing awareness of heat-related illnesses and calls for safety in the workplace propels the demand for cooling textiles in protective wear. With the workers’ well-being and comfort continuing to be the focus of industries, protective wearing is likely to witness rapid development in the cooling fabrics market.