Natural Polymers

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Shifts in natural polymer landscape

The fracking boom in North America reached its apex in the 2010-2015 period. Now the key natural polymers used in oilfield applications, guar gum and xanthan gum, will see more moderate growth going forward. However, the rising popularity of gluten-free foods should drive use of xanthan gum. Increasing demand for green alternatives in industries such as packaging and textiles will catapult other natural polymers into strong double-digit growth in the forecast period. Furthermore, food ingredients that offer pleasing eating and drinking experiences will propel growth for pectin. In addition, cellulose ethers will be supported by ongoing demand for waterbased, low VOC coatings.

New product introductions

According to Natural Polymers, a new study from The Freedonia Group, recent products include the 2015 US FDA-approved JUVEDERM ULTRA XC, which is made from hyaluronic acid, manufactured by Allergan for lip augmentations that lasts up to a year. Hyaluronic acid is exhibiting a surge in popularity as not only a dermal filler but also a moisturizer in topical applications. In food and beverage applications, to combat supply constraints and meet demands of the marketplace, TIC Gums has introduced a variety of pectin substitutes that contain natural polymers such as alginates, agar, and locust bean gum.

Weather & politics affect demand

Freedonia Group states that much of the change in natural polymer demand and pricing is due to the current state of supply, which is subject to various regions’ weather and geopolitical situations. Many natural polymers are indigenous to certain parts of the world. Poor crop yields in key growing areas have caused supply pinches and price inflation in pectin, for example, and has caused end users to seek out alternatives. Oil and gas producers, too, briefly sought out alternative solutions, namely to guar gum, as prices rose nearly tenfold between 2011 and 2012! Guar gum is mainly imported and openly traded on exchanges in India, where regulators suspended trading before it returned to lower price levels in 2013.

Study coverage

Natural Polymers analyzes the US market for natural polymers. It presents historical demand data (2005, 2010 and 2015) plus forecasts (2020 and 2025) by market (food and beverages, medical, oilfield, cosmetics and toiletries, coatings and inks, construction, adhesives, packaging, textiles, other) and product (cellulose ethers, starch and fermentation polymers, exudate and vegetable gums, protein-based polymers, marine polymers, other). The study also assesses key market environment factors, analyzes the industry structure, evaluates company market share and profiles US industry competitors.

Freedonia's market research studies provide timely access to reliable, unbiased analysis from which to benchmark performance and answer critical questions: Is your business growing faster or slower than the overall market? Is your organization gaining or losing market share? Which products and markets are the most desirable to explore for expansion? Are there industry trends or competitor activities that present a threat or opportunity to your business?

Studies offer a great ROI and can help business leaders make informed, analytically driven decisions. When considering the time, effort, and expertise that goes into it, our off-the-shelf research saves our clients time and money.

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  1. Natural Polymers

    $5,300.00

    1. 1 INTRODUCTION

      $110.00

    2. 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

      $146.00

      1. Table | NATURAL POLYMER DEMAND

    3. 3 MARKET ENVIRONMENT

      $1,627.00

      1. 3.1 General

        $82.00

      2. 3.2 Macroeconomic Outlook

        $176.00

        1. Table | MACROECONOMIC INDICATORS

      3. 3.3 Demographic Trends

        $211.00

        1. Table | POPULATION & HOUSEHOLDS

      4. 3.4 Consumer Income & Spending

        $95.00

        1. Table | PERSONAL CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURES

      5. 3.5 Manufacturing Outlook

        $232.00

        1. Table | MANUFACTURERS' SHIPMENTS

      6. 3.6 Competitive Materials

        $84.00

      7. 3.7 Historical Market Trends

        $86.00

        1. Table | NATURAL POLYMER MARKET, 2005-2015

        2. CHART II-1 NATURAL POLYMER MARKET, 2005-2015

      8. 3.8 Pricing

        $136.00

        1. Table | SELECTED NATURAL POLYMER PRICES

      9. 3.9 Environmental & Regulatory Considerations

        $379.00

        1. 3.9.1 Food & Beverages

          $106.00

        2. 3.9.2 Cosmetics & Toiletries

          $103.00

        3. 3.9.3 Pharmaceuticals

          $82.00

        4. 3.9.4 Other

          $111.00

      10. 3.10 International Activity

        $99.00

      11. 3.11 Foreign Trade

        $82.00

        1. Table | NATURAL POLYMER FOREIGN TRADE

    4. 4 MARKETS

      $3,800.00

      1. 4.1 General

        $97.00

        1. Table | NATURAL POLYMER DEMAND BY MARKET

        2. CHART III-1 NATURAL POLYMER DEMAND BY MARKET, 2015

      2. 4.2 Food & Beverages

        $226.00

        1. 4.2.1 Food & Beverage Industry Overview

          $193.00

          1. Table | FOOD & BEVERAGE SHIPMENTS

      3. 4.3 Natural Polymer Demand

        $559.00

        1. Table | FOOD & BEVERAGE DEMAND FOR NATURAL POLYMERS BY APPLICATION & PRODUCT

        2. CHART III-2 FOOD & BEVERAGE DEMAND FOR NATURAL POLYMERS BY PRODUCT, 2015 ($1.1 billion)

        3. Table | CONFECTIONS & BAKED GOODS DEMAND FOR NATURAL POLYMERS

        4. Table | DAIRY & DESSERT DEMAND FOR NATURAL POLYMERS

        5. Table | OTHER FOOD & BEVERAGE DEMAND FOR NATURAL POLYMERS

      4. 4.4 Medical

        $663.00

        1. 4.4.1 Pharmaceutical Overview

          $182.00

          1. Table | PHARMACEUTICAL SUPPLY & DEMAND

        2. 4.4.2 Natural Polymer Demand

          $466.00

          1. Table | MEDICAL DEMAND FOR NATURAL POLYMERS BY APPLICATION & PRODUCT

          2. CHART III-3 MEDICAL DEMAND FOR NATURAL POLYMERS BY PRODUCT, 2015

      5. 4.5 Oilfield

        $506.00

        1. 4.5.1 Petroleum & Natural Gas Industry Overview

          $88.00

          1. Table | OIL & GAS PRODUCTION & CONSUMPTION

        2. 4.5.2 Natural Polymer Demand

          $396.00

          1. Table | OILFIELD DEMAND FOR NATURAL POLYMERS BY PRODUCT

      6. 4.6 Cosmetic & Toiletries

        $437.00

        1. 4.6.1 Cosmetic & Toiletry Industry Overview

          $147.00

          1. Table | COSMETIC & TOILETRY SUPPLY & DEMAND

        2. 4.6.2 Natural Polymer Demand

          $269.00

          1. Table | COSMETIC & TOILETRY DEMAND FOR NATURAL POLYMERS

          2. CHART III-4 COSMETIC & TOILETRY DEMAND FOR NATURAL POLYMERS BY PRODUCT, 2015

      7. 4.7 Coatings & Inks

        $260.00

        1. 4.7.1 Coatings & Inks Industry Overview

          $114.00

          1. Table | COATINGS & PRINTING INK INDICATORS

        2. 4.7.2 Natural Polymer Demand

          $128.00

          1. Table | COATINGS & INK DEMAND FOR NATURAL POLYMERS

      8. 4.8 Construction

        $209.00

        1. 4.8.1 Building Construction Overview

          $82.00

          1. Table | BUILDING CONSTRUCTION EXPENDITURES

        2. 4.8.2 Natural Polymer Demand

          $108.00

          1. Table | CONSTRUCTION DEMAND FOR NATURAL POLYMERS

      9. 4.9 Adhesives

        $186.00

        1. 4.9.1 Adhesives Industry Overview

          $82.00

          1. Table | ADHESIVE SHIPMENTS

        2. 4.9.2 Natural Polymer Demand

          $130.00

          1. Table | ADHESIVE DEMAND FOR NATURAL POLYMERS

      10. 4.10 Packaging

        $366.00

        1. 4.10.1 Packaging Industry Overview

          $139.00

          1. Table | PACKAGING SUPPLY & DEMAND

        2. 4.10.2 Natural Polymer Demand

          $210.00

          1. Table | PACKAGING DEMAND FOR NATURAL POLYMERS BY APPLICATION & PRODUCT

      11. 4.11 Textiles

        $196.00

        1. 4.11.1 Textile Industry Overview

          $82.00

          1. Table | TEXTILE SHIPMENTS

        2. 4.11.2 Natural Polymer Demand

          $112.00

          1. Table | TEXTILE DEMAND FOR NATURAL POLYMERS

      12. 4.12 Other Markets

        $94.00

        1. Table | OTHER MARKETS FOR NATURAL POLYMERS

    5. 5 PRODUCTS

      $4,241.00

      1. 5.1 General

        $85.00

        1. Table | NATURAL POLYMER DEMAND BY TYPE

        2. CHART IV-1 NATURAL POLYMER DEMAND BY TYPE, 2015

      2. 5.2 Cellulose Ethers

        $900.00

        1. Table | CELLULOSE ETHER DEMAND

        2. 5.2.1 Methyl Cellulose

          $193.00

          1. Table | METHYL CELLULOSE DEMAND

        3. 5.2.2 Microcrystalline Cellulose

          $129.00

          1. Table | MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE DEMAND

        4. 5.2.3 Carboxymethyl Cellulose

          $174.00

          1. Table | CARBOXYMETHYL CELLULOSE DEMAND

        5. 5.2.4 Hydroxyethyl Cellulose

          $154.00

          1. Table | HYDROXYETHYL CELLULOSE DEMAND

        6. 5.2.5 Other Cellulose Ethers

          $167.00

          1. Table | OTHER CELLULOSE ETHER DEMAND

      3. 5.3 Starch & Fermentation Polymers

        $1,163.00

        1. Table | STARCH & FERMENTATION POLYMER DEMAND

        2. 5.3.1 Xanthan Gum

          $326.00

          1. Table | XANTHAN GUM DEMAND

        3. 5.3.2 Starch Derivatives

          $247.00

          1. Table | STARCH DERIVATIVE DEMAND

        4. 5.3.3 Polylactic Acid

          $227.00

          1. Table | POLYLACTIC ACID DEMAND

        5. 5.3.4 Hyaluronic Acid

          $198.00

          1. Table | HYALURONIC ACID DEMAND

        6. 5.3.5 Other Starch & Fermentation Polymers

          $121.00

          1. Table | OTHER STARCH & FERMENTATION POLYMER DEMAND

      4. 5.4 Exudate & Vegetable Gums

        $690.00

        1. Table | EXUDATE & VEGETABLE GUM DEMAND

        2. 5.4.1 Guar Gum

          $240.00

          1. Table | GUAR GUM DEMAND

        3. 5.4.2 Gum Arabic

          $207.00

          1. Table | GUM ARABIC DEMAND

        4. 5.4.3 Other Exudate & Vegetable Gums

          $181.00

          1. Table | OTHER EXUDATE & VEGETABLE GUM DEMAND

      5. 5.5 Protein-Based Polymers

        $365.00

        1. Table | PROTEIN-BASED POLYMER DEMAND

        2. 5.5.1 Collagen

          $173.00

          1. Table | COLLAGEN DEMAND

        3. 5.5.2 Other Protein-Based Polymers

          $155.00

          1. Table | OTHER PROTEIN-BASED POLYMER DEMAND

      6. 5.6 Marine Polymers

        $696.00

        1. Table | MARINE POLYMER DEMAND

        2. 5.6.1 Alginates

          $229.00

          1. Table | ALGINATE DEMAND

        3. 5.6.2 Carrageenan

          $252.00

          1. Table | CARRAGEENAN DEMAND

        4. 5.6.3 Other Marine Polymers

          $173.00

          1. Table | OTHER MARINE POLYMER DEMAND

      7. 5.7 Other

        $340.00

        1. Table | OTHER NATURAL POLYMER DEMAND

        2. 5.7.1 Pectin

          $117.00

        3. 5.7.2 Natural Phenolics

          $112.00

        4. 5.7.3 All Other

          $82.00

    6. 6 INDUSTRY STRUCTURE

      $4,933.00

      1. 6.1 General

        $82.00

        1. Table | US NATURAL POLYMER SALES BY COMPANY, 2015

      2. 6.2 Market Share

        $258.00

        1. CHART V-1 US NATURAL POLYMER MARKET SHARE, 2015

      3. 6.3 Acquisitions & Divestitures

        $161.00

        1. Table | SELECTED ACQUISITIONS & DIVESTITURES

      4. 6.4 Marketing Strategies

        $92.00

      5. 6.5 Channels of Distribution

        $82.00

      6. 6.6 Research & Development

        $106.00

      7. 6.7 Competitive Strategies

        $93.00

      8. 6.8 Cooperative Agreements

        $87.00

        1. Table | SELECTED COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS

      9. 6.9 Company Profiles

        $3,996.00

        1. 6.9.1 Akzo Nobel NV

          $189.00

        2. 6.9.2 Allergan plc

          $82.00

        3. 6.9.3 American Excelsior Company

          $82.00

        4. 6.9.4 Archer-Daniels-Midland Company

          $160.00

        5. 6.9.5 Ashland Incorporated

          $183.00

        6. 6.9.6 AVEBE UA

          $111.00

        7. 6.9.7 Borregaard ASA

          $82.00

        8. 6.9.8 Cargill Incorporated

          $428.00

        9. 6.9.9 Corbion nv

          $147.00

        10. 6.9.10 Croda International plc

          $84.00

        11. 6.9.11 Dow Chemical Company

          $254.00

        12. 6.9.12 DuPont (EI) de Nemours

          $149.00

        13. 6.9.13 Economy Polymers & Chemicals

          $82.00

        14. 6.9.14 FMC Corporation

          $264.00

        15. 6.9.15 Huber (JM) Corporation

          $275.00

        16. 6.9.16 ICC Industries Incorporated

          $82.00

        17. 6.9.17 Importers Service Corporation

          $82.00

        18. 6.9.18 Ingredion Incorporated

          $82.00

        19. 6.9.19 Jungbunzlauer AG

          $82.00

        20. 6.9.20 Kraton Performance Polymers Incorporated

          $82.00

        21. 6.9.21 Manildra Group

          $82.00

        22. 6.9.22 Metabolix Incorporated

          $82.00

        23. 6.9.23 MGP Ingredients Incorporated

          $192.00

        24. 6.9.24 Nestlé SA

          $101.00

        25. 6.9.25 Novamont SpA

          $82.00

        26. 6.9.26 Pacific Pectin Incorporated

          $82.00

        27. 6.9.27 Rettenmaier (J.) & Söhne GmbH & Company KG

          $127.00

        28. 6.9.28 Sanofi

          $82.00

        29. 6.9.29 Seagarden AS

          $82.00

        30. 6.9.30 Shin-Etsu Chemical Company Limited

          $152.00

        31. 6.9.31 Solvay SA

          $118.00

        32. 6.9.32 Storopack Hans Reichenecker GmbH

          $82.00

        33. 6.9.33 TIC Gums Incorporated

          $101.00

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