Five unique consumer products—ranging from a disaster relief blanket to a host of personal and household care items from the industry’s leading manufacturers – have been nominated as finalists for the prestigious 2006 Visionary Award.
    Now in its fifth year, the Award – which is given annually to a recently introduced consumer product that utilizes a nonwoven fabrics in its final form—will be presented at the Vision 2006 Consumer Products Conference, scheduled for January 15-18, 2006 in Denver, CO. The finalists will make presentations during Vision 2006 and conference attendees will vote on the recipient of the 2006 Visionary Award.
    “The Visionary Awards recognize achievement by manufacturers and their suppliers in incorporating nonwovens technology into consumer products,” explains Visionary Award Chairman Michael Jacobsen, of INDA. “We had close to two dozen nominations this year and the Selection Committee spent a considerable amount of time analyzing the products before naming these five products as finalists for this prestigious award.”
    The five finalists are:
    • Cotton Enhanced Baby Wipes, PGI Nonwovens. The company’s Apex technology enhances the performance of cotton, imparting a three-dimensional image onto the nonwoven, creating a thick, soft wipe. The engineered composite nonwoven structure forms a cloth-like premium wipe that is strong, tear and puncture resistant.
    • Disposable Mitt with Body Wash, Kimberly-Clark. The new Disposable Mitt with Body Wash helps toddlers learn how to bathe themselves and allows parents to be able to finish the job. The textured Coform basesheet is formed into a mitt that allows for both baby and mom to use. It is also a technology first for printing multiple colors on highly textured Coform.
    • Stayfree Advanced Protection, Johnson & Johnson. Stayfree Advanced Protection is designed for use both for menstrual and bladder protection.
    • Disaster Relief Blanket, Chicopee. The blanket incorporates Apex technology and spunbond fabric and one version is offered with a metallized SB back, which also allows for the attachment of disposable heat pads for Extreme Climates. It is a two-sided (63% by weight polyester face/37% by weight polypropylene back) blanket designed for indoor or outdoor use.
    • Mr. Clean MagicReach, Procter & Gamble. Launched in February, Mr. Clean MagicReach consists of an implement to be used with two types of disposable nonwoven pads.  One pad is pre-moistened for mopping the floor and cleaning countertops, and the other pad is water-activated for cleaning soap scum from your tub/shower.
    Last January at Vision 2005 in New Orleans, BBA Fiberweb was presented with the Visionary Award for its Resolution Print Media product. BBA will make a presentation at Vision 2006 to provide an update on the Resolution Print Media.
    Other previous winners include Brillo Scrub ‘n’ Toss (2004), FMJ ChemBio for its Civilian Quick Escape Mask (2003) and Procter & Gamble’s Swiffer cleaning system in 2002.