Suzano Pulp and Paper’s Eucafluff was recognized as an important innovation in the personal hygiene market for 2016, at INDA’s RISE conference in New Orleans, LA. The conference brought together the largest personal hygiene companies, their equipment and raw material suppliers and the leading global producers of nonwoven products.

The event was attended by more than 100 executive officers and managers from the leading companies in the personal hygiene products industry, including Alexandre de Toledo Corrêa, Executive Manager of New Business, and Judson Fidler, Technical Manager of Customer Service in America at Suzano Pulp and Paper.

“We have been following the performance of diapers produced in Brazil using Eucafluff in two renowned laboratories in the U.S. and verified that hardwood fluff pulp brings significant benefits to the product. When produced with the Suzano fiber, diapers show gains of 10% in flexibility and 20% in compressibility (thus making the product thinner) and a 30% reduction in rewet (making the product drier). We are very excited with the improvement in performance we can offer to the end consumers of our clients,” says Toldeo Corrêa.

The U.S. market was also introduced to the process of mixing both fibers (softwood and hardwood), as well as the simplification and productivity gains offered by hardwood in its production.

Fluff pulp ensures absorption and retention of liquids in products such as disposable diapers and sanitary napkins, for example. In the case of Eucafluff, tests show the potential for replacing softwood pulp with hardwood pulp, by around 70% in sanitary napkins and 30% in diapers.

In development since 2007, Eucafluff has engaged researchers who were exclusively dedicated to this  project. In November 2015, Suzano officially started producing hardwood fluff pulp at its Suzano Unit in São Paulo, Brazil by making adjustments to a printing and writing machine.

As this operation ramps up, the  company is looking for new applications for eucalyptus pulp and thus diversifying its product offering. This pillar also includes the production of lignin and the company’s recently announced entry into the tissue segment.