The wipes market now has a raw material option that is not only biodegradable but also made from recycled materials—solving green issues both at the beginning and end of the product’s life. The Poole Company, a maker of fibers for nonwovens and textile fibers, has developed this biodegradable polyester fiber made from 100% recycled polyester bottles.
 
“This is really taking the sustainable story to the next level,” says Bynum Poole, company president. “Everyone likes to use a fiber that is made of recycled materials because it gives the plastic bottle a new life but what happens to the wipe after it’s used? With these fibers, they will biodegrade.”
 
In controlled laboratory, oxygen-deficient conditions, third-party testing proved that EcoSure BioBlast fibers biodegrade at least 12 times faster than traditional polyester and petroleum-based fibers over a one-year period. In addition to their ability to accelerate degradation, the fibers are soft, durable and strong,” Poole notes. “They have the same physical properties as polyester, so you get the same kind of tenacity.”
 
Poole has been making recycled fibers for the disposable and durable markets for some time but said that the green story is more important in markets like wipes than in apparel or other non-disposable markets.
 
“We see more of a demand in nonwovens because of the single-use issue,” he says. “In the textiles market, they like it but articles of clothing are used more times so the sustainability story has more to do with marketing.”
 
EcoSure BioBlast fibers have been under development for two years and just completed 365 days of testing with Eden Research Lab, a third-party vendor in New Mexico.  The anaerobic exercise simulated landfills and measured off-gases to validate consumption and degradation in an oxygen-deficient environment.
 
“EcoSure BioBlast fiber incorporates Poole Company’s 100% post-consumer polymer and engineered additives to accelerate microbiological activity,” says Joe McFadyen, technical director at Poole Company.  “The microbes have a nucleation point to start their natural process of breaking down the polymer chains back to simpler compounds. Even polymers made from biological sources like plant sugars have trouble starting the decomposition process without the right conditions.  And, the BioBlast component does not impact the fiber’s processing or shelf life outside of the landfill.”
 
Poole anticipates that manufacturers, distributors, and suppliers of all types of disposable wipes will be interested in EcoSure BioBlast, which is priced competitively with other fibers and polymers with bio-based claims and will ultimately be available in a dispersible grade.  Additionally, it is an easier fiber to work with, making it a better fit for partners and allowing for more efficient production of wipes.
 
“We designed this product with the market in mind,” he says. “In the manufacturing and technology space, we’re really a true development company. We listen to customer needs and find the right product to meet those needs. What it comes down to is that we spend the time and money to create what the market wants.”