Concerns about healthcare-associated infections will stimulate growth in cleaning chemicals, says report

The fastest growth in cleaning chemicals will occur in the healthcare sector over the next four years owing to a rise in the number of hospital stays and concerns about healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), according to a new report from the Freedonia Group.

The World Industrial & Institutional (I&I) Cleaning Chemicals study from the Cleveland, US-based market research firm, predicts that world demand for both industrial and institutional (I&I) cleaning chemicals will increase 4.3% each year to US$46.3bn in 2018, stimulated by increasing efforts to prevent the spread of disease in healthcare and food and beverage manufacturing applications.

The manufacturing sector is also expected to be a significant source of growth, particularly in developing economies, as rising incomes lead to increased demand for processed food and beverage products and a focus on improving cleaning standards.

'Increased spending on healthcare will continue to be an important driver of growth in I&I cleaning chemical demand,' said analyst Nick Cunningham.

Greater use of cleaning chemicals in healthcare applications will come from ageing populations in Europe, North America, Australia, China, and Japan, as well as from rising prosperity in many developing nations.

Increased spending on healthcare will continue to be an important driver of growth in I&I cleaning chemical demand

Disinfectant and sanitiser sales will be particularly strong, as these products feature heavily in strategies to prevent the spread of HAIs, which is a major focus within the healthcare industry, the study forecasts.

Strong growth in food and beverage manufacturing will be another important driver of I&I cleaning chemical demand. Increased processed food and beverage production will reflect rising consumption in developing countries due to growing spending power and the continued adoption of more Western style eating habits.

General purpose cleaners will continue to make up the largest share of I&I cleaning products and experience healthy growth going forward, but the nature of this growth will be complex, owing to a number of factors.

Market maturity in many developed countries, as well as product substitution in response to the marketing of targeted, specialised cleaners is expected to restrain advances. This will be balanced by gains in less developed markets where formulated general purpose cleaners are increasingly used in the place of basic chemicals, and by the shift toward more sustainable, cost effective, and user friendly (but ultimately higher value) products in regions such as the US, Western Europe, and Japan.