Personal protective equipment (PPE) is required at work sites with any type of physical, electrical, heat, or chemical hazard. PPE of 7 major categories (above-the-neck protection, respiratory protection, hand protection, protective clothing, foot protection, fall protection, and gas detection) protects a user against workplace injuries and illnesses.

This research presents an assessment of the current status and future prospects of Scandinavian PPE market. Scandinavia in many definitions includes Sweden, Denmark, and Norway; Frost & Sullivan in this project added Finland, which is part of the larger Nordic region. The study period is 2017 to 2025, with a base year of 2020. It includes a breakdown of industrial sector employment numbers for each country in 2020.

The healthcare industry is excluded from this project: Frost & Sullivan has done a separate study that considers the COVID-19 pandemic’s major impact and implications on healthcare. End-use industries considered here include construction, utilities, manufacturing, mining, oil & gas, pharmaceutical, agriculture, and firefighting.

Companies in the region put an emphasis on quality and are more open to higher-priced product innovations, resulting in an above-average degree of technical change. PPE vendors compete on technology and performance (including ergonomics) rather than price. The pandemic caused a surge in demand for disposable N95 respirators, which reduce a wearer's exposure to airborne particulate hazards including respiratory droplets that contain minute virus particles. Technological advancements with the application of cloud computing and data analytics will influence growth opportunities for product segments including self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), powered air purifying respirators (PAPR), and fixed and portable gas detectors.