SA's re-usable sanitary wear market to hit R17bn by 2022

©David Pereiras Villagrá via 123RF

According to the company's new research, South Africa is an important region to monitor trends in re-usable products with sanitary protection sales growing by 7.2% in 2016-2017 and expected to reach R17 billion by 2022.

“Modern non-store retailers that buy, produce and sell re-usable diapers have evolved from only a handful in 2013 to over 100 non-store retailers in 2018, to date. Initially the main reason for purchase was based on the products exclusivity and high quality,” comments Euromonitor International associate analyst Jacques Olivier.

“In recent years, a shift occurred towards lower quality products as demand was driven by more affordable diapers. What we are seeing today is many small-scale players introducing a wider product choice based on price, as well as various shapes and sizes as parents become more comfortable with the products and it becomes more widely available,” says Olivier. Following increasing demand for affordable nappies, sales have witnessed 7.5% growth over 2016-2017 and are expected to reach R6,07 billion by 2022.

Targeting both ends of income spectrum

The analysts highlight that re-usable sanitary wear in South Africa is appealing to social classes on the low and high-income spectrums. On the low end, due to affordability and obtaining them for free from NGOs, and on the high end of the spectrum due to health benefits and environmental awareness.

“The social classes in South Africa are expected to show similar rates of expansion by 2030, as the country’s wide income gap is not expected to change over the long term. Opportunities will continue generating for companies targeting consumers at both ends of the income spectrum,” concludes senior research analyst Danielle le Clus Rossouw.