Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines medical gloves as an example of personal protective equipment that is intend to protect the wearer and/or the patient from the spread of infection or illness during medical procedures and examinations. Further, medical gloves are disposable and include range of gloves such as examination gloves, surgical gloves, and gloves for handling chemotherapy agents (chemotherapy gloves). These gloves are regulated by the FDA as Class 1 reserved medical devices that require a 510 (k) premarket notification. Furthermore, FDA reviews these gloves to ensure the performance criteria such as leak resistance, tear resistance, and biocompatibility is met.

Are biodegradable gloves offering a green alternative to synthetic medical gloves?

The World Economic Forum Report states that the manufacturing of medical gloves for health workers is one industry that has blown out of proportion with over 300 million rubber gloves now being used each year. Majority of the medical gloves used during the pandemic are made from synthetic rubber that remains in the landfill for about 100 years. During the pandemic, Meditech Gloves, a recent entrant in the industry, ramped up the production, to meet the massive surge in demand for their gloves that uses natural rubber. The inventors like Meditech Gloves have shown positive sign for energy savings that can be made in the production of natural rubber gloves that acts as a faster manufacturing process. Additionally, 30% less waste is created during the production of the new gloves. Such factors have positive influence for the growth of global medical gloves market.

Report coverage

Market Drivers

Rising incidences of infectious diseases coupled with growing concerns related to safety, hygiene, sanitation acts as stimulators for the growth of global medical gloves market

The consumption of medical gloves has been accelerating over the years due to increasing infectious diseases and safety concerns. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), more than 593,000 cases of notified diseases were reported to the Notifiable Disease Surveillance System (NNDSS) in 2019.  Additionally, in 2019, four infectious diseases recorded 82% of the Australian Health Community that were notified. Also, patients suffering from influenza accounted around 313,000 notified patients. Such factors have raised the demand for the global medical gloves market till the forecast period.

Rising focus on research gains high sustainability for manufacturing of latex gloves

The natural rubber degrades 100 times faster than synthetic rubber and a special formulation of natural rubber latex can remove the problem associated with allergies and reintroduce natural, sustainable raw latex to the industry on a mass scale. Apart from that, Cranfield University’s initial research identified time and energy savings of up to 50% can be achieved in a revised manufacturing process with modification of formulation of the latex gloves. The next phase of the Cranfield study will investigate how the natural latex raw material can be modified to rapidly enhance the biodegradability of natural rubber gloves as production of sustainable latex gloves depend on natural rubber.

Market Segmentation

The global medical gloves market is segmented based on product, usage type, application, distribution channel, and end-user. By product, the market is segmented as latex or natural rubber, nitrile butadiene rubber, polyvinyl chloride, chloroprene, and others. By usage type, the market is classified into disposable and reusable. By application, the market is segregated as examination, surgical, and chemotherapy. By distribution channel, the market is bifurcated into online and offline. Furthermore, end-user is segmented as hospitals, clinics, ambulatory surgical centers, diagnostic centers, and rehabilitation centers.

Based on product, nitrile butadiene rubber segment dominates the market accounting major share during the forecast period of 2021 to 2028. By usage type, reusable gloves have gained significant attention in the global market. By application, surgical gloves will hold dominant share for the global medical gloves market during the analysis period of 2021 to 2028. Furthermore, by end-user, the hospitals segment will acquire maximum share during the forecast period for medical gloves market worldwide.

Regional Overview

North America dominates; Asia Pacific registers fastest growing CAGR for the forecast period

North America dominates the medical gloves market by recording dominant share during the analysis period of 2021 to 2028. Presence of competitive and large pool of players in this region makes it a lucrative region for medical gloves. For example, US Medical Glove Co. announced signing of a 15 year lease at former factory site that will create the largest nitrile machine fabricating and nitrile glove production facility under one roof worldwide. According to the company press release, the Montgomery factory will house upto 80 American-made nitrile glove machines that are capable of producing 8.1 billion gloves each year and will offer more than 1,000 direct jobs and 3,300 indirect jobs.

On the other hand, Asia Pacific is exhibited to record fastest growing CAGR for medical gloves market during the analysis period of 2021 to 2028. With the onset of pandemic the demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) continued to rise estimating around 89 million medical masks, along with 76 million examination gloves and 1.6 million medical gloves needed every month for responding the pandemic. Additionally, the world's leading manufacturer of medical gloves, Top Glove (headquartered in Malaysia) predicted an additional 30% growth in 2021 for medical glove revenue.

Competitive Landscape

The players enlisted in the competitive landscape are working consistently for market expansion by formulating new strategies such as new product launches, M&A activities, partnerships, collaborations, and others. The prominent players of the global medical gloves market include Top Glove Corporation Bhd, Supermax Corporation Berhad, Semperit AG Holding, Cardinal Health, Ansell Limited, SHIELD Scientific, Medline Industries, Inc., MRK Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., Primus Gloves Private Limited, HBM Protection, Shandong Yuyuan Latex Gloves Co., Ltd., Raysen Healthcare Products Co., Ltd., Pidegree Industrial Co., INTCO Medical, Bluesail Medical Co., Ltd., Hartalega Holdings Berhad, Sri Trang Gloves, and Healthium.

Market Segmentation

Market By Product

• Latex or Natural Rubber
• Nitrile Butadiene Rubber
• Polyvinyl Chloride
• Chloroprene
• Others

Market By Usage Type

• Disposable
• Reusable

Market By Application

• Examination
• Surgical
• Chemotherapy

Market By Distribution Channel

• Online
• Offline

Market By End-User

• Hospitals
• Clinics
• Ambulatory Surgical Centers
• Diagnostic Centers
• Rehabilitation Centers

Market By Geography

• North America
  • U.S.
  • Canada
• Europe
  • U.K.
  • Germany
  • France
  • Spain
  • Rest of Europe
• Asia-Pacific
  • China
  • Japan
  • India
  • Australia
  • South Korea
  • Rest of Asia-Pacific
• Latin America
  • Brazil 
  • Mexico
  • Rest of Latin America
• Middle East & Africa
  • GCC
  • South Africa
  • Rest of Middle East & Africa