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Recently, in one of the world's largest nonwovens exhibition-INDEX, EDANA (European Nonwovens Association) announced the highest honor in the nonwovens industry-INDEX™23 winners. The participating products will be listed in front of January 31, 2023 and will be reviewed and selected by experienced industry professionals. Awards at INDEX™23 was presented on the day of the opening ceremony, with a total of five categories, of which no product was shortlisted for the Innovation Award for Nonwoven Product Marketing Campaign.

The winning entries and finalists demonstrate how innovation and sustainability are driving the nonwovens industry forward, showcasing the creativity of both large and small businesses as well as the entire nonwovens supply chain. A description of the winning products for each award, the shortlisted products (in alphabetical order) and the summary comments of the jury are as follows.

Innovation Award for Nonwoven Coils

Award-winning Products:Suominen——HYDRASPUN® Circula Nonwoven
HYDRASPUN®Circula was one of the first nonwovens on the market to be produced using recycled paper and cellulose fibers. Using waste sources as raw materials for nonwovens is challenging due to high quality and hygienic requirements, which makes HYDRASPUN®Circula become a successful example of innovation.

This product attracted the attention of the jury for its innovative use of post-consumer waste and for demonstrating that innovation in nonwovens can support a circular economy and sustainable production. The jury also recognized the environmental sustainability efforts of Suominen company's product range.

Other shortlisted products in this category include Fitesa by Fitesa®Hydro-X S 100% BioBase, this product is a spunbond product, but it has the softness and high loft commonly found in hot air bonded (ATB) nonwovens. The shortlisted products also include Sandler's Fast Forward Fabric, a single-polymer textile material with superior performance in terms of product performance and material recycling and resource conservation.

Innovation Award for Nonwoven Products

Winning product: Henkel-Smart Adult Care
Intelligent adult care diapers transform traditional adult diapers into smart, connected medical devices, which is an important step towards the future of patient-centered care and smart health services. The diaper is equipped with a lightweight flexible print sensor and a reusable diaper bag, which can remotely monitor humidity, temperature and movement. Henkel has developed this product in cooperation with IoT partner Smartz AG.

Nonwoven absorbent hygiene products help improve the comfort and well-being of the elderly. The jury believes that this intelligent adult care solution through thorough consideration and field trials will not only further enhance the user experience, but also help reduce the workload of caregivers. It is recommended to integrate sensors in all types of disposable hygiene products, but this is still difficult in terms of practicality and realizability.

Other shortlisted products in this category include Fibroline and Euro Wipes' Zoned Precision Care Mask (Multimasking Mask). Fibroline and Euro Wipes have developed a three-zone sheet mask using patented technology, containing targeted active ingredients for the forehead, eyes and face. The shortlisted products also include Sparkle Innovations Sparkle paper-wrapped compostable sanitary napkins, which are made from renewable resources and biodegradable in warm and humid conditions.

Innovation Award for Nonwovens Raw Materials

Award winning product: Fiberpartner-BicoBio
The fiber is a bicomponent sheath-core structure developed from a material with a low carbon footprint that biodegrades in landfills and seawater. Bio-based PE raw material is sugar cane, achieving a negative carbon footprint; recycled PET is GRS certified; PrimaLoft®Bio™Additive technology makes polyester and fabric fibers biodegradable in the environment; the fiber is suitable for various non-woven processing technologies and has a wide range of uses. The jury believes that the hydrolysis and biodegradation of fibers in landfills is beneficial to some non-woven applications.

Other shortlisted products in this category include Indorama Hygiene Group's Bioconversion Technology (Biotransformation Technology), an innovative bioconversion technology that allows polyolefins to be biodegraded in the environment. The shortlisted products also include Sparkle Innovations SugaFluff™It is made of bagasse fiber, which provides a wood-free, sustainable, cost-effective, high-performance and truly recycled alternative source of fluff pulp for absorbent hygiene products.

Innovation Award for Nonwovens Equipment

Award winning product: Curt G. Joa, Inc. -- ESC-8™
JOA ESC-8™The electronic size conversion device uses an unprecedented push-button conversion technology to improve the flexibility of product size conversion on the production line through many methods and processes. such as ESC-8™Each nozzle assembly within is independently controlled and equipped with an independent cam for unparalleled process flexibility and user control.

Other shortlisted products in this category include the Elastic Wire Anchorage (ETA) welding head (Elastic Thread Anchoring (ETA) Sonotrode) Herrmann Ultraschalltechnik (Hellmann). The ETA welding head reduces the cost of the process with an innovative elastic anchoring method and no adhesive.

The shortlisted products also include the RF5 XHL platform for ultra-flexible spunbond products (RF5 XHL Platform for Supersoft Spunbond) Reicofil by Reifenh. Reicofil RF5 XHL line configuration is designed to produce ultra-soft nonwovens for the hygiene industry.

Sustainable Development Award

Award winning product: Curt G. Joa, Inc. -- ESC-8™
SugaFluff™Made of bagasse fiber, it is an alternative to fluff pulp in absorbent hygiene products. It does not require wood, and is sustainable, cost-effective, high-performance and fully recyclable. Bagasse fiber does not require additional land because the sugar industry can produce a large amount of useful bagasse by-product.
The jury nominated the product in both the Raw Material Innovation Award and the Sustainability Award categories, recognizing it as an excellent case of sustainability in all aspects, with real relevance to the nonwovens industry and its associated markets.

Other shortlisted products in this category include Fitesa by Fitesa®100% bio-based composites (Fitesa®100 per cent BioBase AquiDry). This material is used in end products to reduce the carbon footprint of the product directly through the raw material, without the need to compensate for the carbon emissions of the product. The shortlisted products also include the Sparkle Innovations Sparkle paper packaging compostable sanitary napkin, which was also shortlisted for the Nonwoven Products Innovation Award.

Source: Jung-International Nonwoven Industry Business