Rubber Gloves Market Trends

Growth Drivers  

• Multi-functionality of rubber gloves: The multi-functionality of rubber gloves is a key driving factor of market growth. While in the industrial sector, these gloves offer protection against harmful substances, their use in household sectors offer cleaning and personal protection, especially during major disease outbreaks. The versatility of rubber gloves makes them indispensable in personal and professional sectors, thereby fuelling the rubber gloves market growth.
  
  In the healthcare sector, rubber gloves are essential in maintaining hygiene and prevention of cross-contamination. In July 2021, Honeywell and Premier, Inc. announced a collaboration to expand the domestic production of nitrile exam gloves. This was aimed at producing at least 750 million domestically made nitrile exam gloves, to meet the shortages driven by COVID-19 and vaccine distribution.

• Stringent safety regulations: Regulatory bodies around the world are enforcing stricter safety and hygiene standards in various industries, including food processing, pharmaceuticals, and chemical handling, boosting the use of rubber gloves for personal protection. In addition, high-cost compensation for not following the regulations is also effectively driving the rubber gloves market growth. Regulations implemented in recent years have also heightened the demand for high-quality, compliant rubber gloves.
  
  The US FDA released an article in February 2024, stating that manufacturers are required to identify on the package labeling the materials used to make the medical gloves. It further stated that in case of a possible allergic reaction from certain materials, healthcare practitioners can choose made of synthetic materials such as nitrile. Factors like these are driving the manufacturers to develop safe-for-use rubber gloves that comply with the regulatory standards.

Challenges  

• Waste handling & disposal challenge: The vast number of single-use gloves discarded daily presents a significant challenge in the rubber gloves market growth. Most rubber gloves, particularly synthetic ones such as nitrile and vinyl are not biodegradable, leading to environmental concerns as they accumulate in landfills and cause plastic pollution.  Incineration of these leads to the release of harmful chemicals into the environment.
  
  This growing environmental impact is demanding more sustainable practices such as the development of biodegradable gloves, and stricter waste management regulations. This majorly applies to the healthcare and food processing sectors owing to the wider need for rubber gloves. This on a global scale remains a complex challenge for rubber glove manufacturers which may hinder the rubber gloves market growth in the upcoming years.

• Health hazards: This primarily revolves around latex allergies and chemical exposure. Latex gloves can cause allergic reactions in a few individuals, ranging from mild skin irritations to severe respiratory issues. Powdered latex gloves proteins become airborne, further increasing the risk of breathing-related allergies. Owing to this, many industries are switching to alternatives that are of lesser risk but not completely risk-free. Frequent users may suffer from skin sensitivities.