Global consumption of airlaid nonwovens in 2022 was 574,800 tonnes or 7.5 billion square meters, making the market valued at $2 billion, according to a report published by Smithers. Growth rates for 2017–22 were 4.7% in tonnage, 3.8% in square meters and 8% in dollar terms, while growth  rates for 2022–27 are forecast at 6% (tons), 5.3% (square meters), and 7.7% (dollars). Airlaid supply/demand is projected to tighten to over 94% globally by 2027.

Even though a major production line was added in North America in 2022, the markets in both North America and Europe continue to be saturated from a supply standpoint. This is driving the industry to innovate more sustainable products and many companies are exploring the prospects of investing in new airlaid operations in both regions, according to reports.

According to industry consultant Phil Mango, airlaid supply remains reasonably balanced globally despite some tight markets within North America. This is because recent investment, such as Domtar’s new line in the Southeast U.S., has just met incremental demand for the materials.

On the machinery side, in June 2023 Andritz purchased Dan-Webforming Machinery, a Denmark-based supplier for airlaid machinery and the company is bullish that investment in airlaid will be propelled by increasing demand as well as greater need for sustainable materials in key markets like hygiene and wipes.

“Together we will focus on further developing our range of production lines for environmentally friendly nonwovens. With the Dan-Web team on board, we will be able to develop these processes much faster,” says Andreas Lukas, head of Andritz Nonwoven. 

This product range adds airlaid competence to Andritz’s technology lineup and complements its existing interests in spunlace, spunbond, wetlaid and needlepunch nonwovens.

“I am very pleased to join forces with Andritz. As part of the Andritz Group, our product portfolio will be integrated into world-class process applications. We have a long tradition of innovation and look forward to continuing this path with Andritz,” Kurt Soerensen, former owner of Dan-Web emphasized.

Glatfelter

The world’s largest producer of airlaid nonwovens continues to report strength from its manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and Europe.

“Airlaid Materials continues to be a technology and product innovation leader in technically demanding segments of the markets it serves,” says COO Boris Illetschko, Glatfelter. “Our airlaid material production employs multi-bonded, thermal-bonded and hydrogen-bonded airlaid technologies. We believe our facilities are among the most modem and flexible airlaid facilities in the world, allowing them to produce at industry-leading operating rates. Our proprietary single-lane festooning technology provides converting and product packaging capabilities that support efficiency in the customers’ converting processes.”

The feminine hygiene category accounted for 39.6% and 44% of airlaid material’s net sales in 2022 and 2021. Other markets include specialty wipes, adult incontinence items, home care and food pads. The company’s approach to innovation is to develop new products with enhanced sustainability profiles, through a greater reliance on plant-based materials that provide improved biodegradability and compostability, particularly in areas where the company can improve the sustainability profile of its customers’ products without compromising performance.

Recent developments in this area include GlatPure, a range of biobased and absorbent hygiene components derived from renewable materials like 100% plant-based renewable cellulose fibers and a range of organic binders.

Designed for environmentally conscious consumers, GlatPure offers a toolbox of innovative solutions that elevate sustainability without compromising product performance. This new generation of absorbent hygiene products consists of a variety of plant-based and natural topsheets, an acquisition distribution layer, an absorbent core, a newly improved backsheet and a landing zone. Crafted with 100% renewable fibers and biodegradable materials, and enriched with bio-based binders, GlatPure stands as the industry’s first fully functional, fossil fuel-free range of solutions.

“The GlatPure range stands as a testament to our unwavering commitment to delivering top-tier performance and sustainability in absorbent hygiene products,” says Vishal Bansal, vice president of Global Innovation, ESG, and Product Sustainability. “Understanding that each component plays an important role in product excellence, we have tailored every layer to ensure they more than meet their required attributes in the application. To achieve this, we harnessed the power of multiple advanced technologies, carefully selected for their unique advantages.”

Meanwhile, in new application areas, Glatfelter has partnered with Blue Ocean Closures to develop a cellulose-based airlaid bottle cap. Blue Ocean Closures is reportedly the first company to develop a concept for fiber-based screw cap solutions. This is achieved through excellence in material know-how and a cost-effective production concept using advanced, proprietary press forming.

Glatfelter aims to achieve a 95% fully plant-based offering of food and beverage and hygiene products by late 2023, achieved through customer collaboration.

Domtar

Domtar’s Engineered Absorbent Materials (EAM) facility in Jesup, GA, completed a $90 million project that added a large-scale airlaid production line to the facility as well as 75 new jobs in May 2023. The EAM expansion makes Domtar a leading nonwovens provider.

“The EAM expansion adds more scale and technology, and combining it with our world-class fluff pulp business, we will deliver more value to our customers and Domtar for many years to come,” says Steve Henry, Domtar executive vice president and chief operating officer. “We are very confident and excited by what the future holds for Domtar’s pulp business and EAM.”

EAM general manager Vanécia Carr adds, “With this expansion, we now operate a 331,000 square foot facility with three airlaid lines, two laminate lines and eight packaging lines, doubling our capacity.”

The EAM expansion makes Domtar the second-largest airlaid supplier in the U.S. and the third largest in the world. And in addition to growing capacity, EAM continues growing its team.

“We’ve grown to 150 employees and will continue to hire until we reach approximately 170,” Carr says.

Domtar’s EAM facility has set the hygiene industry standard for custom core solutions—making products thinner and better-performing for customers around the globe, improving the absorbent products people rely on every day.

Magic

In May, Sviluppo Sostenibile, a private equity fund specialized in investments in Italian SMEs and promoting ESG issues, managed by DeA Capital Alternative Funds SGR, a company of the Novara-based De Agostini Group, acquired a majority stake in Magic, an Italian airlaid producer.

Magic, founded in 1987, is a family-owned company based in Oleggio (NO) Italy, led by CEO Mauro Giani, son of the founder, and CFO Mara Galli, his cousin. The company makes airlaid for a variety of applications, including food (which accounts for 70% of turnover), medical, industrial and hygiene. In addition to the production of sustainable super absorbent raw materials, the company is also specialized in converting processes: laminating, coating, cutting and folding.

The production plant covers 8800 square meters and is equipped with 15 production lines, enabling Magic to produce 103 million square meters of output each year, which is exported to 37 countries. With around 90 full-time employees, Magic provides its customers a full range of high-quality products.

Magic, which had a turnover of €26.3 million in 2022, has a strong focus on research and development, towards sustainable and biodegradable solutions and has developed several innovative solutions.

Sviluppo Sostenibile will accompany Magic in its growth and ESG commitment, by pursuing new product launches, geographic diversification, and supporting it in developing other market segments.

Mauro Giani and Mara Galli will keep their positions as managing directors and will continue to lead the company.

Giani says: “This investment is an opportunity of important strategic growth for Magic, allowing us to better pursue our ambitious goals of growth and innovation.”

Galli adds: “Among investment funds, we are satisfied that it is a fund from the area close to us that supports and shares a growth based on sustainability.”

Marco Albanesi, Sviluppo Sostenibile’s managing director, comments: “We are pleased to invest in Magic, a leader company in its reference market and able to be constantly innovating with the launch of new products. In addition to the company’s performance characterized by continuous growth, we were also impressed by its development plan increasingly focused on social responsibility objectives, in which the company’s strategic and management choices do not disregard ethical and social considerations.”

Magic’s latest investment, supplied by Campen Machinery, can produce several types of thermal bonded airlaid products with or without tissue and nonwovens as a carrier sheet. Before investing in the new machinery, Magic acquired airlaid from external suppliers and was highly specialized in converting airlaid for the food, medical, personal care and safety and cleaning industries.

Several years ago, Magic developed Spongel, a super absorbent biodegradable powder, and from there the need to develop and produce their own airlaid arose. “Our need was to produce a new kind of high-absorbing and sustainable airlaid containing Spongel,” says Giani. “After Spongel development, we focused our efforts on the application of the powder in the airlaid material, and we realized that we needed to be able to control the whole production process.”

The  Campen airlaid line was delivered in late 2019 and consists of hammer mill lines, fiber opener, drum forming heads, SAP dispenser, compactor, thermal bonding oven, a calender unit with cooling zone, process air filter and humidification system. An unwinder for tissue and winder for final winding of the product as well as a metal detector and in-line scanner system for measuring g/m2 are also part of the line.

“The high-tech airlaid machine from Campen transformed us from a converting company into a production company, as well as making it possible for us to create Airgel, a very exclusive and innovative product with Spongel,” says Giani.

Last year, Magic launched the G-pad, a new biodegradable and compostable food pad.

In its continuous innovation process, G-pad is the natural outcome of Spongel and Airgel g-grade, a compostable airlaid—both certified OK Compost. It combines Airgel g-grade with a compostable film through a hot bonding process: no glue, no chemical additives, no adhesive are used, while the absorbent capacity is the same as traditional plastic film pads.

G-pad was inspired and conceived according to the principles of the circular economy, so that the new food pad at the end of its lifecycle can be disposed with household organic waste for industrial composting.

SharpCell

SharpCell and OrganoClick, a maker of bio-based materials, have collaborated for more than five years in the development of a new airlaid material. OrganoClick’s bio-based binder which replaces the fossil-based binder in the traditional material, is made of raw materials originating from side streams in the food industry from e.g. wheat, corn, lemons and shrimp shells.

“Our vision is to be at the leading edge of sustainability, and we are very happy with this collaboration together with OrganoClick,” says Pekka Pollari, CEO of SharpCell. “The best solutions are found in good cooperation with customers and partners. Through active product development we can come up with applications that fulfil even the most demanding requirements.”

SharpCell is an innovative airlaid nonwoven producer with ambitious sustainability goals. The material that has been developed has the potential to replace over 1000 tons of fossil-based binder when fully implemented at SharpCell while keeping the soft hand-feel and textile-like look of an airlaid material. A 100% fossil-free material is also in line with the Finnish government’s goal of becoming a fossil-free nation in 2035.

“We are very happy to accomplish this great milestone together with the SharpCell team. We look forward to continue the journey replacing plastics and make products green inside,” says Mårten Hellberg, CEO at OrganoClick.