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The global hygiene products market is expected to grow to $92.5 billion by 2022, while the patch mask market is expected to reach $14 billion by 2030. Obviously, with the increasing environmental awareness of young consumers, there is potential for further growth in the field of personal hygiene products, and the market demand for beauty care products is expected to remain strong. Specifically, beauty care products have begun to become increasingly popular in Southeast Asia. Increased environmental awareness among young consumers means strong growth potential for these products.

The strong market growth also confirms the Lanjing Weiyi silk.™

(VEOCEL™) Fiber's growth story in Asia. Compared to before the outbreak, Visi™The brand achieved impressive double-digit growth last year. Even after the epidemic abates, the market still expects the demand for personal hygiene products in Asia to continue, while the beauty care sector is expected to see high growth.
"Since the outbreak, we have observed a significant change in consumer habits," said Steven Tsai, senior commercial director of the non-woven business in Asia at the Lanjing Group. As people stay at home longer, they become more focused on personal care, and they invest more money in products that enhance the quality of their lives. Weiyi Silk™There are three core application areas in the global market-personal hygiene, beauty care and wipes. In particular, we see potential in the beauty care sector in the Asian market, where the demand for patch masks and cleansing wipes is increasing dramatically. In the health sector, more and more consumers are becoming more concerned about health and cleanliness."

The EU Single Use Plastics Directive brings new market opportunities

In our time, the pollution of microplastics is one of the most severe tests, and it may also have a negative impact on the lives of many future generations. In the recently approved EU Directive on Single-Use Plastics (EU)2019/9043, the European Commission defines specific products that fall into this category. This initiative is necessary because it provides clear guidance for EU member states to jointly combat environmental pollution caused by plastic waste.

As of July 2021, the Single-Use Plastics Directive has standardized labeling requirements for the packaging of certain products or the products themselves, including plastic-based feminine hygiene products, body care or household wipes. This is a good start to solving the above problems: it can not only educate consumers, but also promote the creation of alternative materials with better recycling.

Lan Jing is pleased to accept the targeted measures taken by the European Union, such as the "Single Use Plastics Directive", which aims to deal with the plastic waste problem as a whole. Biodegradable wood-based cellulose fibers from the Lanjing Group are an important part of sustainable and innovative solutions that can contribute to solving this growing human-made problem.

Weiyi Silk™The branded fibers were also designated by the European Commission's Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD) in June 2021 as a sustainable alternative to single-use plastics in many everyday applications, and therefore look forward to new business opportunities in Asia in the future.

Cai Mengyuan pointed out: "The EU's single-use plastics directive has set new industry standards and is expected to have a positive impact in Asia. We hope that the directive will encourage brands and business partners to re-evaluate their management models and adopt more environmentally friendly alternatives, such as Visi.™Branded Lyocell fiber. We believe that the market demand for sustainable non-plastic non-woven fabrics from renewable resources will continue to increase. We are currently exploring the unlimited application potential of environmentally friendly non-woven fibers to support the growing demand for sustainable materials in Asia."

Verified biodegradability

In a study published in October 2021, scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO), a leading academic research institution at the University of California, San Diego, demonstrated that wood-based cellulose fibers biodegrade in the ocean shortly after the end of their life cycle, making them an alternative to fossil-based fibers.

The study, which originated from an independent project, sought to explore how textiles and nonwovens discarded in the environment change at the "end of life. SIO is one of the oldest, largest and most important marine research centers in the world, and enjoys great prestige.

In this study, SIO compared the degradation process of non-woven fabrics made of fossil-based synthetic materials such as polyester and non-woven fabrics made of cellulosic materials such as wood-based lyocell, modal and viscose fibers of the Lensing Group in specific scenarios, which occurred in various real marine environments and controlled aquarium environments.

The experimental results were surprising: the wood-based cellulose fibers were completely biodegradable within 30 days, whereas the fossil fibers tested showed no substantial changes after more than 200 days. "Our business model belongs to a circular economy. The wood is taken from sustainable forestry and uses efficient systems to process all raw materials to produce fibers that can be returned to nature again at the end of the life cycle." Robert van de Kerkhof, member of the board of directors of the Lanjing Group, commented, "The textiles and non-woven industry must change. Our goal is to increase widespread awareness of major challenges such as plastic pollution and to persuade the industry to switch to wood-based biodegradable fibers."

Tests conducted in the Organic Waste Systems (OWS) laboratory in Belgium have come to the same conclusion. OWS is one of the global leaders in the field of biodegradability and compostability testing, and the test data provided by OWS is also verified by the measurement results of Scripps in real scenarios.

OWS is evaluated in accordance with applicable international standards, which reflect natural and man-made conditions that may trigger biodegradation. The certificate Austria by the certification organization TÜV shows that Lanjing.™The fibers biodegrade rapidly in all test environments, including soil, industrial compost, home compost, fresh water and sea water, within the time specified by the applicable standards.

Care for women, protect the environment

Since July 2019, Weiyi Silk has been launched.™Since the certification standard, the brand's logo has appeared on personal hygiene and beauty care products made of cellulose materials and biodegradable fibers. They also set a set of standards for the non-woven industry, which is reflected in their strong network of brand partnerships across Asia.

The brand's lyocell fiber has been adopted by different Asian mask brands such as Annie's Way, Sensatia Botanicals and Watsons HA series film mask. The patch mask made of these fibers is not only natural and smooth, but also certified as clean and safe. They are 100 percent plant-based and produced by environmentally friendly processes. Lanjing's patented transparent technology and fiber properties work together to bring soft luxury and excellent fineness to the skin.

Kotex from China®Kaujie®Feminine hygiene brands such as Nature and South Korea's Yejimiin Forest Story are also using the brand's lyocell fiber as a surface material for sanitary napkins. In addition, the recently introduced Visi.™The brand Lyocell fiber uses dry technology, especially suitable for products that need to provide users with a dry feeling, ensuring excellent comfort.

Kotex®Kaujie®Zhang Yilin, Product Manager, said: "We want to provide women with a comfortable and non-sensual experience so that they can have a free period. We use environmentally friendly fibers derived from plants to create excellent products to care for women and protect the environment. Our customers believe that this fiber is soft to the touch, breathable and refreshing, and is good for the environment."

Source: Lanjing Group

Source: Jung-International Nonwovens Industry