The global breathable membranes market is expected to grow at a considerable rate during the forecast period (2017-2023) due to increasing focus on water-proofing the buildings in a cost-effective way thereby, safeguarding building materials from getting eroded by water vapors. The stringent government norms on minimizing the energy consumption of buildings is expected to create huge demand opportunities in the global breathable membranes market during the forecast period.
Breathable membranes are resistant to water and permeable to air and are used within external wall and roof constructions, where external layers are not completely water-tight or moisture resistance such as tiled roofs or framed wall constructions and may have driven snow, wind, or contaminants. This avoids the build-up of interstitial condensation thereby, allowing the roof to breathe and neutralizing the need for traditional ventilations.
The demand for breathable membranes is forecasted to grow during the forecast period due to rapid growth in the global construction industry, increasing government initiatives over the safeguarding of construction and rising awareness about the safety. The global breathable membranes market is categorized on the basis of raw materials, end use and region.
Based on the raw material, the breathable membranes market can be segmented into polyethylene and polypropylene. Polyethylene (PE) based breathable membrane is expected to contribute significantly to the global breathable membranes market during the forecast period on account of the excellent properties such as resistance to prolonged UV radiation and water, and increasing demand in the pitched roof applications.
Based on application, the global breathable membranes market can be categorized as pitched roof and timbre-framed walls. Pitched roof is expected to contribute to the largest application segment during the forecast period due to the increasing EU regulations focusing on minimizing the energy consumption in the region, growing focus towards the development of more energy-efficient building construction methods and increasing roofing activities during extreme cold conditions.
Based on region, the global breathable membranes market can be segmented into North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific excluding Japan, Japan, and the Middle East and Africa. Western Europe is expected to dominate the global breathable membranes market due to increasing demand for high-quality products with superior prolonged UV resistance property and airtightness characteristics, rising population and huge demand in timber frame construction industry. Asia-Pacific excluding Japan is likely to witness significant growth in the global breathable membranes market on account of the rapid rate of urbanization.
The major opportunities lie in the geographic areas having extreme climatic conditions wherein the demand for timber frames over concrete and steel is increasing. The demand for extra air tight high performance membranes is growing the global market for breathable membranes market.
The slow growth rate of construction industry in Western Europe and the fluctuating price of the raw materials such as polyethylene and polypropylene resins poses a major challenge to the overall growth of global breathable membranes market.
The key players operating in the global breathable membranes market are E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Cosella-Dörken Products Inc., Soprema, Inc, GAF, Saint-Gobain SA, Kingspan Group Plc and Riwega S.r.l.
Market Segmentation
By Type
- Polyethylene (PE)
- Polypropylene (PP)
- Others
By Application
By Region
- North America
- Western Europe
- Asia-Pacific
- Central and Eastern Europe
- Rest of the World (RoW)
