Soda Ash Market Analysis

Global Soda Ash Market Overview

Soda Ash Market Size was valued at USD 18.98 billion in 2023. The Soda Ash industry is projected to grow from USD 19.74 Billion in 2024 to USD 27.01 billion by 2032, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.00% during the forecast period (2024 - 2032). Rising demand for soda ash glass and, soap & detergent and rising adoption of soft water are the key market drivers enhancing the market growth.    

Source: Secondary Research, Primary Research, MRFR Database, and Analyst Review

Soda Ash Market Trends

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  Growing adoption of soda ash for the glass and detergent industry to boost the market growth

  
  

Soda ash is used for manufacturing various products such as glass, detergent, inorganic and organic chemicals, water treatment, and pulp & paper manufacturing, among others. The major application of soda ash is in glass manufacturing and detergent manufacturing. The use of it enables reduced energy consumption while manufacturing glass. Thus, companies manufacturing glass are using soda ash as a raw material. In the past few years, rapid construction activity growth has been noted due to rapid urbanization. The growing construction activities have fueled the demand for glass in the market. Moreover, the demand for glass is also high in the automotive industry as the growing population has also surged the demand for vehicles. According to USGS Mineral Industry Surveys, the consumption of soda ash for manufacturing glass in 2020 was around 2120 thousand metric tons and in 2021 was 2280 thousand metric tons. Thus, an increase in glass consumption can be noted along with growing construction activities, automotive manufacturing, and electronics.

Additionally, in recent years, the demand for soda ash has been growing for detergent manufacturing as the demand for soap, detergent, and home cleaning products is growing. Owing to the spread of various diseases, there has been a growing awareness among the population for maintaining a hygienic environment at home as well as workplace. This has led to a rising in the consumption of various cleansing products. Such factors, in turn, are fuelling the demand for soda ash as it is used for manufacturing these products. According to USGS Mineral Industry Surveys, the consumption of soda ash for manufacturing soaps and detergents in 2021 was 230 thousand metric tons and is anticipated to grow during the forecast period. Thus, the rising demand is anticipated to enhance the soda ash market CAGR across the globe in the coming years.

To cater to the rising demand, companies in the market also take initiatives to increase their production capacity by investing. This is another factor driving the growth of the Soda Ash market revenue.

Soda Ash Market Segment Insights

Soda Ash Type Insights

The  Soda Ash market segmentation, based on type, includes natural and synthetic. The natural soda ash segment held the majority share in 2021, contributing to around ~60-65% with respect to the  Soda Ash market revenue. It is primarily owing to the increasing production of natural soda ash by companies in the market, as the manufacturing process requires lower energy consumption. This makes natural soda ash a low-cost product, and thus the demand for natural soda ash is high in the market for manufacturing various products.

September 2022: Solvay reinvented its soda ash manufacturing process and targeted zero limestone discharge at its Dombasle site. The company plans to achieve this goal by 2050.  

October 2022: Solvay enters into a partnership with two companies IPSIIS and a subsidiary of Ferro Duo, for collecting and reusing limestone residues from its soda ash production in Rosignano.  

Figure 2:  Soda Ash Market, by Application, 2021 & 2030 (USD Million)

Source: Secondary Research, Primary Research, MRFR Database and Analyst Review

Soda Ash Application Insights

Based on application, the soda ash market segmentation includes glass, soap & detergents, chemicals, pulp & paper, metal processing, and water treatment. The glass segment dominated the market in 2021 owing to rising demand for glass in the construction, automotive, and electronics industries. Companies in the market are constantly taking initiatives to collaborate with glass manufacturers or are getting soda ash from CO2. Such growing initiatives and rising demand positively impact market growth. Moreover, the soap & detergents segment is anticipated to grow with the fastest CAGR during the forecast period owing to the rising demand for cleaning products and growing awareness among the population for maintaining hygiene.

October 2022: Airovation Technologies, Israel's glass manufacturer, developed a chemical method to extract soda ash from CO2. This soda ash is manufactured from CO2 and can be used for the glass production process. Such new development methods are creating growth opportunities for the Soda Ash industry.

September 2019: Ciner Group and Şişecam Group announced a partnership for an equal production contract for the production of natural soda in the U.S.

Soda Ash Regional Insights

By Region, the study provides market insights into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest of the World. The North American soda ash market accounted for USD 7.6 billion in 2021 and is expected to display a substantial CAGR growth during the study period. Some of the factors attributing to the growth of the market in this Region include growing demand for it for glass manufacturing, paper & pulp manufacturing, and water treatment. According to USGS Mineral Industry Surveys, soda ash production in 2020 was 9990 thousand metric tons and in 2021 was 11300 thousand metric tons. Thus, as the demand grows, the market companies are rapidly increasing their production capacity. 

Further, the major countries studied in the market report are The U.S., Canada, Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Spain, China, Japan, India, Australia, South Korea, and Brazil.

Figure 3:  SODA ASH MARKET SHARE BY REGION 2021 (%)

Source: Secondary Research, Primary Research, MRFR Database, and Analyst Review

Europe soda ash market accounts for the second-largest market share due to the rising demand for soda ash for manufacturing glass which has high demand in the automotive and construction industry. Further, the Germany soda ash market held the largest market share, and the UK soda ash market was the fastest-growing market in the European Region.

The Asia-Pacific Soda Ash Market is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. This is due to the growing population, which has fueled the demand for various products such as glass, chemicals, paper & pulp, and water treatment, among others. Moreover, China soda ash market held the largest market share as China is the leading chemical manufacturer, and it is in high demand in this Region as it is used as a raw material for manufacturing various chemicals. Furthermore, the India soda ash market was the fastest growing market in the Asia-Pacific region owing to rising construction activities and growing automotive manufacturing in this Region.

Soda Ash Key Market Players & Competitive Insights

Major market players are investing in increasing the research and development activities in the Soda Ash market. Market participants are also adopting a range of strategic initiatives to hold a prominent market share in the market, with key market developments such as agreements, collaborations, partnerships, mergers, and acquisitions, with other companies in the market or end-user manufacturers. Players in the soda ash industry must offer cost-effective products to expand and survive the increasingly competitive market environment.

One of the strategies adopted by players in the soda ash industry is to enter into partnerships with other companies in the market. In recent years, the soda ash industry has increased its production capacities by heavily investing in development. The Soda Ash markets major player such as Tata Chemicals Ltd (India), GHCL Constrained (India), Sisecam Bunch (Turkey), Ciech SA (Poland), and others are working on expanding the market demand for soda ash by taking several initiatives.

Tata Chemicals Ltd (India is the 3rd largest manufacturer id soda ash. The company majorly manufactures soda ash for the glass industry. The company has manufacturing capacities in India, the UK, the U.S., and Kenya. In December 2019, Valley Holdings Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Chemicals, acquired a 25% (remaining) partnership interest in Tata Chemicals (Soda Ash) Partners Holdings for Rs 1,387 crores.

Also, GHCL Constrained (India) manufactures soda ash as a major raw material for detergents, glass & ceramics industries, and baking soda. They have a Soda Ash manufacturing plant at Sutrapada in Gujarat, India. The company plans on expanding the production capacity by another 500 thousand MTPA by the end of 2025. In April 2022, GHCL, a Delhi NCR headquartered company, set up Us 3500 crores for a greenfield manufacturing facility in Gujarat. The company plans to use this investment to set up a 0.5 million MTPA capacity plant across 1,000 acres of land near coastal Mandvi, Kutch.

Key Companies in the Soda Ash market include

• Tata Chemicals Ltd (India)


• Shandong Haihua Bunch (China)


• GHCL Constrained (India)


• Sisecam Bunch (Turkey)


• Searles Valley Minerals (US)


• Ciner Assets Organization (US)


• Beginning Vitality LP (US)


• Ciech SA (Poland)


• Nirma Constrained (India)


• OCI COMPANY Ltd (South Korea), among others

Soda Ash Industry Developments

November 2021: Sişecam and Ciner Group, Turkish soda ash producers, together invested USD 4 billion in the U.S. soda ash business. With this investment, Sişecam plans to become one of the largest soda ash producers ly.

November 2022: WE (West East) Soda invested USD 4 billion in their Project West, a green field project to increase their production capacity to over 6 million mtpa by 2030 in Wyoming, US. The Project is in addition to the company's participation in a project with Şişecam in which WE (West East) Soda holds a 40% interest.

May 2022: AGC Inc. announced it signed an agreement for transferring the Solvay Soda Ash Joint Venture and Solvay Soda Ash Extension Joint Venture to American Soda LLC., a fully owned subsidiary of Solvay S.A. for USD 120 million.

Soda Ash Market Segmentation

Soda Ash Type Outlook

• Natural


• Synthetic

Soda Ash Application Outlook

• Glass


• Soap & Detergents


• Chemicals


• Pulp & Paper


• Metal Processing


• Water Treatment

Soda Ash Regional Outlook

• North America
  
  
  
  • US
  
  
  • Canada
  
  
  
  


• Europe
  
  
  
  • Germany
  
  
  • France
  
  
  • UK
  
  
  • Italy
  
  
  • Spain
  
  
  • Rest of Europe
  
  
  
  


• Asia-Pacific
  
  
  
  • China
  
  
  • Japan
  
  
  • India
  
  
  • Australia
  
  
  • South Korea
  
  
  • Australia
  
  
  • Rest of Asia-Pacific
  
  
  
  


• Rest of the World
  
  
  
  • Middle East
  
  
  • Africa
  
  
  • Latin America