News Center

There is no doubt that the nonwovens industry has seen incredible growth and opportunities during the new crown epidemic that began in late 2019 and spread to the world in 2020. Demand for masks, ventilators, medical clothing and disinfectant wipes has surged in some areas as a result of the worldwide moratorium on quarantine measures. Many industries have to slow down or press the pause button, while the non-woven market has to use the whole body solution. Various enterprises have opened full production capacity, increase new lines, and try their best to meet the local market demand for nonwovens.

 

This high demand continued into 2021, but while global demand for masks, wipes and other products continued to grow, demand for other product categories fell sharply at the end of the year, forcing some companies to start shrinking capacity. Even in markets such as baby diapers and feminine hygiene products, demand has dropped significantly, as some consumers hoard a large number of products during the closure period.

 

 

Other factors affecting the above demand include inflation, high raw material prices and supply chain problems. The situation in the non-woven industry has become extremely challenging. Many manufacturers in western countries have reflected that the production capacity is only 70-80%, the new investment has slowed down and the profit margin has become low. But the nonwovens industry continues to see growth and innovation, and there are still many opportunities.

 

Perhaps the company with the most ambitious strategy related to the new crown epidemic is Berry Global (Berry). As the world's largest non-woven manufacturer, Berry took the lead in the market with meltblown production lines already built in China and the United States in the early days of the new crown outbreak in early 2020. The company immediately deployed to support the demand for nonwoven materials in the healthcare personal protective equipment, surface disinfection and air filtration markets to help fight the new crown epidemic. At the same time, Berry went further, adding a number of meltblown production lines around the world, as well as some mask production equipment. Today, Berry operates nine meltblown production lines worldwide and has the capacity to supply nonwovens in four major regions around the world. Now that the mask supply market is declining, Berry continues to focus on market opportunities for meltblown nonwovens, especially high-efficiency filtration products. The new crown outbreak has increased the demand for indoor air quality, creating new opportunities for higher quality home and office filtration systems.

 

Ahlstrom (Oslon) has also responded positively to the global new crown epidemic and has fully integrated the company's other medical technologies with mask products to further enrich its supply of medical products. Its medical and filtration business tripled traditional mask production capacity by reallocating production bases, moving away from traditional manufacturing layouts, reusing existing products that were not otherwise suitable for masks, outsourcing non-essential business, licensing external existing businesses with similar capabilities, and restarting dormant assets.

 

 

At the same time, Ahlstrom's medical business manufacturing plant experienced an unprecedented surge in demand across all medical product categories. The company expanded production, increased capacity, and adapted existing technology to global demand to help prevent the spread of the new crown epidemic. "We are constantly detecting the risks associated with the supply chain to ensure that our production needs are met," says Bonte. "We also frequently communicate with global medical teams by telephone to keep abreast of the latest developments and coordinate issues such as delivery times, production times and requirements, raw material deliveries and supply chain flows."

 

In response to the demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) in the fight against the new coronavirus, DuPont (DuPont) saw unprecedented global demand for its Tyvek material in 2020, prompting the company to increase its investment in and improvements to the material. In April 2020, DuPont (DuPont) launched the# TyvekTogether project to increase the overall supply of Tyvek personal protective clothing to help stop the spread of the New Crown epidemic and protect the safety of health care workers. The plan is to get other businesses to join in protecting more frontline responders to the outbreak, thereby adding up to an additional 6 million units/month of non-surgical barrier clothing to the market. The plan includes investment in equipment and technology at DuPont's Richmond, Virginia facility, which significantly increases global production of Tyvek and Tychem garments to meet the growing demand for PPE.

 

The barrier protection capability of Tyvek style 1222A is similar to that of DuPont's core product, DuPont Tyvek 400 clothing, and the drape and feel of the fabric can be adjusted to optimize the use of the material. There are rolls available for existing and new customers with cut-and-sew capabilities to increase the supply of Tyvek garments as quickly as possible.

 

DuPont's Tyvek business is part of the company's Safety and Construction Division. At the second-quarter earnings call, the business unit reported that demand for Tyvek protective clothing increased by 60% over the same period last year by increasing production capacity and adjusting the supply of non-personal protection markets. Despite the strong performance of the Tyvek protective clothing market, the company's other business areas, including the construction business in Tyvek's traditional key markets, declined due to the impact of the home requirement directive around the world.

 

In May 2022, Fitesa announced that it had signed contracts with equipment supplier Reicofil to build four projects around the world. Although the company has not provided more definitive details, it revealed that the project includes the introduction of state-of-the-art equipment covering multiple technologies and significantly increasing the company's production capacity in multiple market segments.

 

Fitesa is one of the world's largest non-woven manufacturers, covering many regions. The company has developed a number of innovative solutions for health and medical care by using various technologies including spunbonding, carding, airlaying, film, elastic materials, and composite. Over the past two years, the company has made significant investments to expand its global footprint and innovation capabilities, including the acquisition of a 51% stake in CNC International, a spunmelt nonwoven manufacturer in Southeast Asia, and subsequent investment in a new production line, as well as the launch of a new innovation center and pilot line in Simpsonville, South Carolina.

 

In its efforts to transform its business, Lydall responded quickly and effectively to the challenge of the new crown outbreak in the first half of 2020. The company announced two additional production lines in the United States and one in France to meet market demand. Now that the market for masks is in decline, the company (currently owned by Alkegen) continues to focus on filtering applications. Last month, three new high efficiency filtration (HEF) products were introduced: for air, liquid and molecular filtration.

 

Of course, meltblown and masks are only a small part of the nonwoven industry, and we also see some opportunities to help the nonwoven industry grow into other segments.

More green wipes products

Some retailers such as Boots and Tesco in the UK have banned the sale of plastic-containing wipes in their retail stores, and the industry across Europe and some US states is embracing single-use plastic regulations. As manufacturers and their suppliers focus on more sustainable raw materials.

 

In June 2022, Spunlace manufacturer Suominen introduced Biolace Silva products to the European market. This is a non-woven product with excellent cleaning ability and 50% lower carbon footprint than 100% viscose products. It is not only welcomed by more environmentally conscious consumers, but also the choice of consumers who value time and sense.

 

In addition to its excellent cleaning ability, Biolace Silva is also a high-quality wet-spun nonwoven material with high strength and thickness. Because of its excellent stability and MD:CD as low as 2:1, it is very convenient to process and disperse at one time.

 

Like Suomine, Berry is committed to promoting sustainability in products related to wipes. The nonwoven manufacturer is currently making two investments, a proprietary filament spunlace line in North Carolina and a spunlace equipment in the Netherlands. The new filament spunlace line is the company's fourth line of its kind and has been adapted for sustainable material production. The new investment in spunlace equipment will be used to produce Berry's new Evolve range, which the company says is sustainable at its core.

 

In addition, Albaad highlights its sustainability strategy by announcing its latest investment. This 50 million euro non-woven production line will target the biodegradable and flushable wipes market. The company said that the new production line will produce environmentally friendly non-woven fabrics produced with pure natural fibers, which are biodegradable, completely flushable and plastic-free. The products are expected to be brought to market in 2023, demonstrating the company's consistent sustainability strategy. Tear-resistant fibers produced from viscose-polyester fibers can cause a range of problems and hazards if not disposed of properly. Furthermore, non-biodegradable and flushable products can be a burden on the environment.

 

Companies are trying to bring plastic-free products to market. WaterWipes introduced 100 percent of the new biodegradable, plastic-free wipes, making WaterWipes the first well-known baby brand in the United States to replace all its products with 100 percent biodegradable, plant-based, plastic-free, compostable wipes. WaterWipes baby wipes are even produced with 100 percent green energy (wind energy). This change, which has already been rolled out globally, means that WaterWipes can save the equivalent of 0.228 billion plastic bottles and 3.28 Olympic-sized swimming pools each year. More importantly, be part of the drive to reduce landfill.

 

Lysol disinfectant wipes are made of 100% plant fiber and are formulated to kill 99.9% of viruses and bacteria on the surface of household products. This plastic-free wipes is made from 100 percent plant fiber and comes in a recyclable container. Like other Lysol disinfectant wipes, pure plant fiber Lysol disinfectant wipes can clean and kill most of the hard, non-porous surfaces in most home life, and kill the new coronavirus in 30 seconds.

Reusable sanitary products

Efforts to make feminine hygiene products more environmentally friendly have led to a new sub-product category-reusable shorts. This kind of products is not only the traditional sanitary products enterprises in the production, the traditional clothing enterprises also join them.

 

Various new technologies in weaving, non-woven and absorbent fibers make these reusable products comparable to disposable products in terms of anti-leakage and anti-odor functions, but with less environmental impact. It takes 500 to 800 years for a single disposable pad to biodegrade, and 20 billion pads and tampons enter North American landfills every year. At the same time, these reusable clothing, if properly cared for, can be used for more than 2 years or even longer. In 2022, major hygiene suppliers demonstrate confidence in reusable hygiene products through mergers and acquisitions. In July, Essity acquired not just one but two reusable hygiene companies-Modibodi in Australia and Knix in North America.

 

"In the feminine hygiene and bladder leakage markets, anti-leakage products are rapidly growing into a sub-category by replacing pads, pads, disposable pads and conventional products," said Magnus Groth, CEO of Essity. "Anti-leakage clothing is more environmentally friendly than disposable products. Generally speaking, carbon dioxide emissions are only 50% of disposable products, and these products generate 75% less waste than disposable products."

 

Modibodi and Knix help make reusable hygiene products the fastest growing market segment, growing at 20% per year. Experts believe that this growth will continue in the next five years, from the current 7% to 15% of the total hygiene products market. The motivation is not only the concern about environmental protection and the improvement of performance, but also the increase of awareness and supply of these products.

 

Kimberly-Clark (Kimberly-Clark) is also investing more in the success of this type of product. In February, the company further increased its stake and became a major shareholder two years after acquiring a small stake in Thinx. Thinx is a pioneer in the reusable hygiene products market. It entered the market 9 years ago and continues to expand its supply of such products.

 

"Our successful investment in Thinx can be seen as a compelling strategic fit for our portfolio of menstrual and mild bladder leak solutions, and we are excited that further expansion of the partnership is expected to open up new opportunities for Kimberly-Clark and Thinx". Russ Torres, President of Kimberly-Clark's North American Consumer Business Group, said: "The investment in Thinx paves the way for cooperation and enables us to work together with retail partners to promote category growth while continuing to support Thinx in direct-to-consumer channels."

 

KelheimFibres have been working with partners in the absorbent products market to develop reusable products based on nonwoven technology. Kelheim recently worked with a German design team to develop a reusable absorbent core for baby diapers that combines needling, thermal bonding technology and Galaxy three-leaf viscose. Needle punching provides more liquid absorption space and higher liquid storage capacity for both fibers, while thermal bonding gives the product bulk and adds strength, making the nonwoven fully washable. In addition, in the absorbent core, the Kelheim segmented hollow fiber Bramante can store liquid not only between the fibers, but also inside the fibers. Bramante can absorb 260 percent of their own weight in liquid. The core material also contains polylactic acid (PLA).

 

Superabsorbent Fiber Expert Technical Absorbents operates a needle-punched production line that can directly knead moisture absorption into fabrics. The UK-based company also develops washable hygroscopic needle-punched nonwovens for reusable hygiene products.

 

"SAF is good at absorbing and retaining liquids, somewhat similar to the technology used in diapers. The resulting nonwoven fabric can capture and intercept urine in the first place, which is essential to enhance the confidence and safety of the wearer." "Our soft, comfortable, washable nonwovens are carefully manufactured, which means that when SAFs are integrated into the structure of the final product, they are protected during the washing/drying process. We work with our customers to tell them how to take full advantage of our materials as part of the product development/preliminary testing process," said John Rose, the company's director of product development."

 

Rose added that the main challenge is to balance the performance and drying time of the fabric during the washing process. The company has introduced a new generation of fabrics with better drying performance to the market, giving users first-class absorption, safety and freedom of choice.

Nonwoven Industry Continues to Grow

In September 2022, EDANA and INDA jointly released a new report entitled "Global Nonwovens Market Report: Comprehensive Survey and Outlook 2020-2025", which predicts strong demand for nonwovens in the next five years.

 

The report analyzes in-depth information and analysis on macro drivers, supply and demand situation, regional trade of the global nonwovens market. Highlights of the report include:
During the historic period (2010-2020), production increased by 6.2 per cent per year, mainly due to the growth of the spunlace process and the dry hydraulic winding process.
China led the increase in production, adding another 4.7 million tons from the end of 2010 to the end of 2020, an annual growth rate of 11.5 per cent.

 

Due to the rapid response of the industry, providing the market with the materials needed to keep the surfaces that people touch clean, protect the air they breathe and provide a safety barrier for the body, the wet wipes, filtration and medical segments have become the fastest expanding non-woven terminal applications.

Source: Jung-International Nonwoven Industry Business