Posted March 4, 2015

 

By Seshadri Ramkumar

 

LUBBOCK, Texas – Economical and ecological improvements will drive the next phase of the nonwovens sector.

 

The nonwovens industry is poised for a healthy growth, according to Pierre Conrath, Sustainability and Public Affairs director at Brussels-based European Disposables and Nonwovens Association (EDANA).

 

Speakers at a recent webinar organized by Nonwovens Industry magazine with the support of EDANA emphasized the need for energy savings, reduction in waste and environmental sustainability for the growth of the nonwovens sector.

 

Dr. Ing. Andreas Rosner of Reicofil machinery said that savings in energy will be an important factor for the industry. Rosner explained Reicofil’s Blue Extrusion process, which the company is advocating for cost savings. According to Reicofil, the leading spunmelt machinery manufacturer, some important attributes such as energy efficiency, reducing environmental impacts, use of ecofriendly materials and developing lightweight nonwovens are the key drivers in the nonwoven industry towards economic and environmental sustainability.

 

Rosner sadi that machinery improvements such as down-gauging have led to 30 percent reduction in the weight of top-sheet nonwovens, which results in resin savings. Additional developments such as improved secondary extruders have enabled the use of resin waste, which could save about 10 percent of resin. Rosner pointed out that improvements in spunmelt machinery and process could lead to energy savings up to 16 percent.

 

Pierre Conrath of EDANA also emphasized the importance of energy efficiency and reduction in the use of raw materials for developing nonwoven products. He said that the industry has worked diligently to reduce the weight of the baby diaper sold in Europe by 50 percent in the past 25 years. Today, the average weight of the diaper in EU is just 33 grams as against 65 grams in 1987.

 

Commenting on the status of the industry Conrath said that the trend is to reduce the weight of the material and increase the surface area of the material. In the recent past, the nonwoven industry in greater Europe has had an annual growth of 3.8 percent in weight, while in terms of surface area it grew by 5.7 percent. More importantly, according to Conrath, there is a greater demand for the single-use nonwoven industry to be highly sustainable, as it involves huge volume.

 

In a question on the weight of the material that is feasible these days with high-end spunmelt machinery, Rosner stated that 10 GSM is possible.

 

Edana just released its fourth sustainability report, which can be found here.

 

Dr. Seshadri Ramkumar is professor of Countermeasures to Chemical and Biological Threats, Nonwovens & Advanced Materials at Texas Tech.