The adoption of the EU Plastic Restriction Order aims to significantly reduce the amount of single-use plastics (SUPs) entering European landfills and oceans, which has become an area of concern for the nonwovens industry. For wet wipes, the most affected is the need to inform consumers about the correct disposal of the product and the negative impact of SUPs and littering on the environment. In response to the plastic restriction order, spunlace non-woven fabric manufacturers expect that the demand for bio-based materials will continue to grow in the next few years, and they have been working hard to provide wipe manufacturers with more plastic-free solutions.
In April 2020, Spanish paper company Papel Aralar commissioned Voith and nonwovens specialist Trützschler Nonwovens to provide a new production line for the production of special materials. The wet spunlace (WLS) production line PM 5 is a project jointly developed by the two companies specifically for the wiping cloth industry.
The adult and baby wet wipes produced by this production line are completely plastic-free, washable and biodegradable, which is a feature that traditional wet wipes do not have. The production line was installed at the end of 2020, and commercial orders have already been delivered. Through recent investment, Aralar now has two advanced WLS production lines with a total production capacity of 45,000 tons.
The decision to invest in this new production line was driven by the forecast of an increase in the demand for biodegradable substrates in the production of wet wipes. "The EU's single-use plastics directive will come into effect in 2021, and we must make changes." said Javier Falcón of Papel Aralar.
The new production line will focus on producing biodegradable baby wipes for the brand Arabby. "Baby wipes are an area that needs to develop from current plastic-containing materials to sustainable materials," Falcón said. "If you don't do this, it will conflict with the customer base. With the implementation of the plastic restriction order, most customers will It was discovered that most baby wipes actually contain plastic."
According to Falcón, the epidemic has led to an increase in the demand for spunlace materials (mainly used in the production of wet wipes), and the production capacity of this material is expanding (mainly in Asia). However, the supply of biodegradable wet spunlace nonwovens is still limited, and only for a very small number of manufacturers. He said: "As the transition from plastic-based wipes to biodegradable wipes accelerates, the supply of this type of innovative material will be very tight in the next few years."
In addition, in the plastic-based production model that currently dominates the market, Papel Aralar believes that the spunlace industry is not healthy. Papel Aralar uses cellulose fibers as the base material for its wet wipes. "Cellulosic fibers are different from plastics. They are made from wood, a renewable resource. Wood is harvested in a sustainable way." He said: "Reforestation is intensive: every tree used in major pulp suppliers Plant a few new trees. Other materials (such as plastic fibers) come from non-renewable energy sources. Cellulose fibers are also biodegradable and compostable. In addition, all fibers used are forestry certified."
Sandler is also working on sustainability. It uses about 30% of renewable and recycled raw materials, including raw materials from renewable resources, such as viscose fiber, cotton, or lactic acid-based polymer PLA for the production of spunlace non-woven fabrics. "Together with our customers and partners, we are constantly testing new raw material options," said Carolin Weber, Sandler's Hygienic Product Sales Director. "Spunlace technology provides the possibility to adapt to the raw material composition of nonwovens while maintaining our The established product functions and quality may bring the required performance. This allows us to consider sustainability even in disposable products such as wet wipes."
Sandler is always looking for possibilities to improve the sustainability of its products and business practices. A few years ago, the company reduced the unit weight of a new generation of wiper substrates, reducing the material input while maintaining the performance of the nonwoven fabric. In addition, in terms of reducing the carbon footprint of products, Sandler is committed to reducing energy consumption in all areas of the company. In production, this is achieved through the energy monitoring system on its production line.
Serkan Gogus, CEO of Turkish nonwovens manufacturer Mogul, said that sustainability is of the utmost importance in every business, and this is especially important with the implementation of the EU's plastic restrictions.
Mogul tries to use natural and renewable raw materials to meet demand, but this material is much more expensive than the materials currently used. "In a competitive environment, no one wants to pay more." Gogus explained.
Mogul also increases its environmental footprint by reducing energy consumption and reusing production water, while also recycling and reusing the waste and leftovers generated.
Regarding raw materials, cotton is considered to be a solution to plastic requirements and has aroused widespread interest in the wet wipes market.
One of the experts in this field is Pakistan's cotton supplier Ihsan Sons. Asad Ali, marketing manager of Ihsan Sons, said that the demand for 100% cotton spunlace has been gradually increasing, and on the supply side, as more and more players enter the market and existing players are increasing production capacity, competition has changed. It's getting more and more intense. He added: “However, supply currently exceeds demand. The market is still evolving, and many companies are exploring ethical and sustainable R&D, so new opportunities will emerge. As new players enter, existing manufacturers are Improve its source of income by exploring new markets for existing products."
At the beginning of the epidemic, Ihsan developed a series of wet wipes as an extension of its existing pure cotton dry wipes product line. "By introducing these wet wipes, we have gained sufficient capabilities in the private labeling and OEM production of wet wipes." Ali said.
Wipes made of 100% cotton spunlace non-woven fabrics and various non-alcoholic ingredients can be used for disinfection/antibacterial wipes, baby wipes, cosmetic wipes and surface wipes.
"Faced with the current threat of the epidemic, the wipes industry has become increasingly important for the growth of spunlace nonwovens," Ali said. "Eco-friendliness and convenience have become the key purchasing criteria for consumers. Wet wipes, especially antibacterial wipes, will become part of daily life. These are all made of biodegradable materials. This is very important. We only We can see the growing demand for spunlace nonwovens. Large retailers and wipers manufacturers now have an ethical and social responsibility to do the right thing, technology and products are available, so there is no excuse!"
Another cotton spunlace non-woven fabric expert based in Shenzhen, China, uses non-woven fabrics for surgical gowns, isolation gowns, protective clothing, masks and other products. “This not only solves the problem of shortage of raw materials, but because of its biodegradability, it is of great significance to the environment,” said Mandy Gu, manager of the stable medical department. “At the same time, the advantages of comfort and other advantages have been obtained by customers. Highly recognized."
Mandy said that the outbreak of the epidemic has led to an explosive increase in the use of disinfectant wipes, and the mass production of disinfectant wipes will continue to grow. "In the post-epidemic era in China, the number of disinfectant wipes will decrease, but the number of ordinary wipes and sanitary wipes will increase more than before the epidemic." Mandy explained. "On the one hand, due to the widespread use of disinfectant wipes during the epidemic, everyone has learned about the efficacy and usage of wet wipes, which makes everyone pay more attention to health and safety; on the other hand, after the outbreak, China has increased by about 100 A new spunlace production line, these new hundreds of thousands of tons of production capacity must be digested, which will become a good material for disposable wet wipes."
