Europe Synthetic Leather Market

Europe Synthetic Leather Market Size-2023-2028

Europe Synthetic Leather Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.4% during the forecast period 2023-2028

Europe Synthetic Leather Market Overview:

Synthetic Leather, or Faux leather, is an artificial leather used as an alternative to original Leather derived from the animal. It is a material used as a replacement for Leather in manufacturing shoes, bags, clothing, and belts. This synthetic Leather is also referred to as vegan, PU, imitation, leatherette, and pleather. Synthetic Leather is made up of two plastics polyurethane and polyvinyl chloride. This Leather is manufactured with the aim of protecting animals. It is less expensive and makes it more accessible to a wider range of consumers. Artificial Leather is flexible, porous, waterproof, and breathable. Over the years, as consumers are getting conscious of animal life, the demand for synthetic Leather has increased.

Europe Synthetic Leather Market Drivers:

Synthetic leathers are affordable and can be purchased by a wide range of consumers, which has driven the Europe synthetic leather market demand. As synthetic leathers are manufactured from PU (polyurethane) and PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) raw materials, which are cheaper in cost than animal hides. Animal hides availability is not constant and fluctuates due to regional conditions and processing costs, which makes animal hides costly as raw material. The production and manufacturing cost of synthetic Leather is highly controlled, which reduces its production cost, and further contributes to cost savings. This enables synthetic Leather to be more affordable, making it an attractive choice for budget-conscious consumers.

Growing awareness of animal welfare and environmental sustainability has led to the adoption of synthetic Leather by consumers. As more people are getting aware of the processing of animal leather, the ethical implications have driven consumers to seek synthetic Leather. As it is a cruelty-free method of manufacturing without killing animals, environment-conscious consumers readily adopt synthetic Leather. Moreover, synthetic Leather has a lower environmental impact since the traditional tanning process for animal hides involves the use of toxic chemicals and water treatments and generates significant waste, which harms the environment's flora and fauna. At the same time, synthetic Leather is more eco-friendly and reduces the carbon footprint. Hence it has increased the market share of the Europe synthetic leather market.

There is a constant demand for new materials and fabrics that are leveling up the adoption of synthetic Leather in the fashion industry, which resembles and feels like real Leather but at cost-effective pricing. Also, the ability of faux Leather to produce and manufacture in various colors and textures makes it a favored choice in the fashion industry. And therefore, this has positively impacted the size of the Europe synthetic leather market.

Faux Leather or artificial Leather is used in the automotive industry for designing the interior of vehicles, such as in car seats, due to its cost-effectiveness, customization options, and availability. Moreover, due to lower maintenance cost of artificial Leather has also led to the growing demand and increasing market size for Europe Synthetic leather market.

With changing trends and styles in the footwear industry, the demand for synthetic Leather has increased, for designing and manufacturing shoes, because of its cost-effective feature, design flexibility, and customization. Therefore, this fueled the demand in the Europe synthetic leather market.

Europe Synthetic Leather Market Restraints:

Synthetic leathers are considered eco-friendlier and more sustainable as it is devoid of animal skin, but because of their dependency on Petro-chemical substances, it creates a concern for the environment and sustainability as these leathers are made from polyurethane (PU) and Polyvinylchloride (PVC), which is a non-renewable resource. And therefore, the process of extraction, processing, and disposal of these materials resulted in environmental issues, contributing to greenhouse gas and climate change. And therefore, this has created constraints and restricted Europe's synthetic leather market size.

Although synthetic Leather is affordable and low cost, its durability and longevity restricted the growth of the market, affecting the market size of the Europe synthetic leather market. And therefore, the concern about longevity and resistance has created resistance and affected its adoption, particularly by high fashion brands that look for durable materials. As European countries are fashion and trend-conscious and look for fashion that is durable and can resist daily wear and tear.

Europe Synthetic Leather Market Opportunities:

As synthetic leathers use polyurethane (PU) and polyvinylchloride (PVC), that is non-renewable sources, it affects the environment and contributes to greenhouse and climate change. To combat this, companies are trying to look for alternatives such as plant-based materials such as cork, pineapple leaves, and apple skins, as these materials are renewable and have a lower environmental impact. Manufacturers can also look for opportunities by using recycled plastics for the production of Leather. This will benefit the environment and will increase the production of synthetic plastics. Also, researchers have found mushroom mycelium, which can be a more sustainable option for the manufacturing of synthetic Leather. These opportunities can increase the synthetic leather market demand.

COVID-19 Impact on Europe Synthetic Leather Market:

The outbreak of COVID-19 significantly affected Europe synthetic leather market; in Europe, France, the UK, and Russia were the most affected countries, and the implementation of the lockdown and travel ban created disruption in the availability of raw materials and impacted the operations of the businesses dealing with synthetic plastics such as fashion industry, and automotive industry. Also, due to the pandemic, the purchasing power of consumers decreased, and it affected the buying capacity of consumers. Therefore, the pandemic had a negative impact on Europe's synthetic leather market, causing its market share to decline at a significant rate.

Market Segmentation:

Europe Synthetic Leather Market-By Type

• Polyurethane

• Polyvinyl Chloride

• Silicone

• Others

The polyurethane segment dominates the market; it is a synthetic petrochemical-based derived polymer that is commonly used in the manufacturing of synthetic Leather. It is low-density flexible, hard, stiff, and flexible. Also, it does not melt when heated. Moreover, it does not crack and fades, which makes it an excellent choice for furniture and fashion apparel. The unique feature that makes it looks like original Leather. And hence this has caused market demand for polyurethane in Europe's synthetic leather market. Polyvinyl chloride is also a synthetic petrochemical-based derived polymer, and it is widely used in construction and electronics along with in the manufacturing of Leather.

Europe Synthetic Leather Market-By Application

• Footwear

• Furniture

• Automotive

• Clothing

• Stationery Goods

• Others

Based on the application, the automotive industry holds the highest market share, as Europe has an increasing demand for cars, which directly increases the market demand for synthetic Leather. As this synthetic Leather is used in the vehicle's interior and design. The clothing segment has the fastest-growing segment due to increasing fashion and trends. Footwear is another segment that is showing significant growth as consumers demand cruelty-free fashion apparel. Most interior designers are finding synthetic Leather a more attractive option than genuine traditional Leather because it does not fade and it is scratch-resistant. Stationery goods like notebooks, files, and folders are made from synthetic Leather.

Europe Synthetic Leather Market-By Region

• Germany

• France

• Italy

• UK

• Russia

• Rest of Europe

Based on region, Germany accounted for the highest market share as Germany has the fastest-growing economy, also due to the strong manufacturing units and industries of fashion, automotive, and furniture.

France has the fastest-growing market in Europe's synthetic leather market due to increasing fashion trends and changing lifestyles and also demand for luxury goods.

Italy is also seeing significant growth in Europe synthetic leather market as the demand for luxury and designer shoes is increased.

The fashion and automotive industry are significant consumers and has caused a rise in the market size, while also the growing awareness among consumers is the major contributor to the market expansion.

Spain has a growing population, and with urbanization and expanding economy, the demand for synthetic Leather has increased, causing the growth of Europe's synthetic leather market.

Key Developments in Europe Synthetic Leather Market:

• On 17th August 2023, Freudenberg, a global leader in creating performance materials, developed sustainable artificial Leather with Evolon microfiber technology which has 80% PET for fall/winter fashion in the 2024 and 2025 fashion shows. This artificial Leather can be used for furniture as well as for the automotive industry.

• On 10th October 2022, Really Clever developed a fully biodegradable leather that is vegan and cruelty-free, which is made entirely of mushrooms and algae. This fungi-based Leather is already attracting the fashion industry.

Europe Synthetic Leather Market Key Players:

• Alfatex ItaliaBASF SE

• Fujian Polytech Technology Corp., Ltd.

• H.R.Polycoats Pvt. Ltd.

• KURARAY CO., LTD.

• Mayur Uniquoters Limited

• Nan Ya Plastics

• San Fang Chemical Industry Co., Ltd

• Teijin Limited