Two years ago, we proclaimed 2020 the year of nonwovens as products like face masks and disinfectant wipes rose to the front lines in the fight against the Coronavirus. Suddenly everyone was interested in nonwovens—getting them, making them, using them. A once obscure industry was suddenly getting front page coverage in national and international news outlets. It was a great time to be doing business in nonwovens.

Well….they say the steeper the rise, the harder the fall, and it certainly seems the case with the current state of nonwovens.

As 2022 comes to a close, it’s safe to say that boom times are over for nonwovens—at least for now. Manufacturers across most technologies and end uses are reporting low utilization rates for existing lines and new line investment has pretty much come to a halt.

However, it does seem that many companies in nonwovens are using this slowdown as a chance to focus on luring new customers with new innovations and technologies, which has led to a strong period of new product development.

At last month’s Hygienix 2022, the proliferation of smaller companies and new products was on full display. From a rolled absorbent pad for away-from-home menstrual care to an absorbent insert to aid in potty training, the development of new products continues to do what nonwovens have done best for more than a half of a century—making consumers’ lives easier and improving their health. And new entrepreneurial companies across the key absorbent markets for nonwovens were there to showcase their ideas on how to offer more effective and sustainable solutions to diapering, bladder care and menstruation—to name a few.

So it would seem, even as the industry grapples with lower demand, a possible recession, unprecedented inflation, supply chain issues, new government regulations relating to flushability and single-uses plastics, the spirit of innovation remains alive in nonwovens.

As always, we appreciate your comments.


Karen McIntyre
Editor
[email protected]