Recently, Birla and Indian women’s care product startup Sparkle announced that they have collaborated on the development of a plastic free sanitary napkin.
Non woven product manufacturers not only need to ensure that their products are unique, but also constantly seek ways to meet the increasing demand for more “natural” or “sustainable” products in the market. The emergence of new raw materials not only endows products with new features, but also provides opportunities for potential customers to convey new marketing information.
From cotton to hemp to linen and rayon, multinational corporations and industry upstarts are using natural fibers, but developing this form of fiber is not without challenges, such as balancing performance and price or ensuring a stable supply chain.
According to Birla, an Indian fiber manufacturer, designing a sustainable and plastic free alternative product requires careful consideration of factors such as performance, cost, and scalability. The issues that need to be addressed include comparing the basic performance standards of alternative products with the products currently used by consumers, ensuring that claims such as non plastic products can be verified and confirmed, and selecting cost-effective and easily available materials to replace the vast majority of plastic products.
Birla has successfully integrated functional and sustainable fibers into various products, including washable wipes, absorbent sanitary product surfaces, and sub surfaces. The company recently announced that it has partnered with Indian women’s care product startup Sparkle to develop a plastic free sanitary napkin.
The collaboration with non-woven fabric manufacturer Ginni Filaments and another hygiene product manufacturer Dima Products has facilitated the rapid iteration of the company’s products, enabling Birla to efficiently process its new fibers into the final product.
Kelheim Fibres also focuses on collaborating with other companies to develop disposable plastic free products. Earlier this year, Kelheim collaborated with nonwoven manufacturer Sandler and hygiene product manufacturer PelzGroup to develop a plastic free sanitary pad.
Perhaps the most significant impact on the design of nonwoven fabrics and nonwoven products is the EU Disposable Plastics Directive, which came into effect in July 2021. This legislation, along with similar measures to be introduced in the United States, Canada, and other countries, has put pressure on manufacturers of wipes and women’s hygiene products, which are the first categories to be subject to these regulations and labeling requirements. The industry has responded widely to this, with some companies determined to eliminate plastic from their products.
Harper Hygienics recently launched what is said to be the first baby wipes made from natural linen fiber. This Polish based company has chosen linen as a key component of its new baby care product line Kindii Linen Care, which includes a range of baby wipes, cotton pads, and swabs.
The company claims that flax fiber is the second most durable fiber in the world and stated that it was chosen because research has shown that it is sterile, can reduce bacterial levels, has low allergenicity, does not cause irritation even to the most sensitive skin, and has high absorption.
At the same time, innovative nonwoven fabric manufacturer Acmemills has developed a revolutionary, washable, and compostable wipes series, named Natura, made from bamboo, which is famous for its fast growth and minimal ecological impact. Acmeills uses a 2.4 meter and 3.5 meter wide spunlace production line to manufacture wet towel substrates, making this equipment highly suitable for processing more sustainable fibers.
Due to its sustainability characteristics, marijuana is also increasingly favored by hygiene product manufacturers. Cannabis is not only sustainable and renewable, but can also be grown with minimal environmental impact. Last year, Val Emanuel, a native of Southern California, recognized the potential of marijuana as an absorbent product and founded Rif, a women’s care company that sells products made from marijuana.
The sanitary napkins currently launched by Rif Care have three absorption levels (regular, super, and night use). These sanitary napkins use the surface layer made of hemp and Organic cotton fiber, reliable source and chlorine free fluff pulp core layer (no super absorbent polymer (SAP)) and sugar based plastic bottom layer to ensure that the product is fully biodegradable. Emanuel said, “My co founder and best friend Rebecca Caputo is working with our biotechnology partners to utilize other underutilized plant materials to ensure that our sanitary napkin products have stronger absorption capacity
Best Fiber Technologies Inc. (BFT) currently provides hemp fiber at its factories in the United States and Germany for the production of nonwoven products. The factory in the United States is located in Linburton, North Carolina, and was acquired from Georgia Pacific Cellulose in 2022, with the aim of meeting the company’s demand for sustainable fiber growth; The European factory is located in T ö nisvorst, Germany and was acquired from Faser Veredlung in 2022. These acquisitions have enabled BFT to meet the growing demand for sustainable fibers from consumers, which are sold under the Sero brand name and used in hygiene and other products.
Lanjing Group, as a leading global producer of wood specialty fibers, has expanded its sustainable viscose fiber product portfolio by launching carbon neutral Veocel brand viscose fibers in the European and American markets. In Asia, Lanjing will transform its existing traditional viscose fiber production capacity into reliable specialty fiber production capacity in the second half of this year. This expansion is Veocel’s latest initiative in providing non-woven fabric value chain partners and brands that have a positive impact on the environment, which helps reduce the Carbon footprint within the industry.
Sommeln Bioface Zero is made of 100% carbon neutral Veocel Les Aires fiber, which is fully biodegradable, compostable and plastic free. Due to its excellent wet strength, dry strength, and softness, this fiber can be used to produce various wiping products, such as baby wipes, personal care wipes, and household wipes. The brand was initially only sold in Europe, and Somin announced in March that it would expand its material production in North America.
Post time: Jul-05-2023