Cleanroom disposable gloves sales on the rise in Europe

The cleanroom disposable gloves market in Europe will rise to US$265m by 2020, a new report by Allied Market Research predicts.

According to the report, Europe Cleanroom Disposable Gloves Market – Size, Industry Analysis, Trends, Opportunities, Growth and Forecast, 2013–2020, the market for these gloves will see a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.9% from 2014 to 2020. Nitrile and vinyl gloves currently account for about 50% of market revenue, but neoprene gloves will see the fastest growth during the forecast period.

The main factors responsible for the growth of this market include increasing area of cleanroom spaces (especially in the pharmaceuticals and semiconductor industries), stringent regulatory requirements, and the rising popularity of 'cleanroom-customised' variants of gloves.

Nearly 6,800 pairs of cleanroom disposable gloves are expected to be sold by 2020, the report says, but the high cost of raw materials such as nitrile, vinyl, neoprene, and increased deployment of industrial robots in the semiconductor industries are limiting the growth of the market in Europe.

The material used for cleanroom gloves has recently moved away from traditional natural rubber/latex to nitrile and vinyl gloves. The report says these gloves provide unique benefits over natural rubber/latex gloves because they are allergy free and offer high biological, chemical, oil and acid resistance. However, natural rubber gloves will continue to lead the market throughout the forecast period, owing to their lower cost and wider availability.

Nitrile cleanroom gloves are emerging as a promising option for pharmaceuticals and semiconductor cleanroom spaces owing to their high resilience and capacity to withstand a wide range of temperatures. This will enable the segment to grow at a CAGR of 8.4% from 2014 to 2020.

Geographically, the UK is expected to continue to lead the European cleanroom disposable gloves market to 2020.