Like in many other nonwovens markets, the home and office furnishings category is experiencing increasing demand for sustainable materials. Nonwovens producers that make materials for bedding, mattresses, furniture, wallcoverings, acoustics and other products that can be found in the home or workplace are all reporting that sustainability is one of the main trends in the market today. These producers are responding by developing products made with natural raw materials like cotton, hemp and flax or with post-consumer recycled content such as recycled polyester. The following is a look at how nonwovens manufacturers are viewing the market, and how they are improving their product lines in a more sustainable way.

Ahlstrom-Munksjö Enhances Wallcovering Range
In the home textiles market, Ahlstrom-Munksjö specializes in the development of an extensive range of nonwovens for the wallcovering industry. Its brands include Ahlstrom-Munksjö WallStar, an option for developing premium and luxury wallcoverings, and Ahlstrom-Munksjö WallWise, the widest range of value-for-money nonwovens designed to bring the paste-the-wall advantages of a real nonwoven at an affordable price.

Ahlstrom-Munksjö recently enriched these two ranges with new functional features. First, with its range of premium fibrous grades WallStar Facing FiberArt, Ahlstrom-Munksjö has developed products with recycled polyester, allowing the company to propose more sustainable solutions for the market. Meanwhile, its range of digital wallcoverings, WallStar Digital, now includes two new grades designed to achieve optimal visual results with eco-solvent inks. For its WallStar Backing range of premium backings, the company developed a new product with a very high tear index, fitting Type II requirements for the U.S. commercial wallcovering market. The product is suitable for textile lamination, as well as PVC coating.

Meanwhile, the WallWise range now includes new uncoated nonwoven grades with excellent opacity and thickness to cover wall imperfections and to assure excellent results on the wall. These products cover all printing techniques.

“Nonwovens have revolutionized the wallcover market by having several unique selling points,” says Anna Brikh, product manager – Consumer nonwovens for Ahlstrom-Munksjö’s Filtration & Performance business. “Compared to paper, nonwovens do not shrink, they are strong and stable, easy to apply and remove, delivering opportunities for more frequent use.”

The company is now witnessing an accelerated switch from paper to nonwoven. “Nonwovens represent more than 60% of the wallcover basis in Europe, more than 80% in China and Japan and this share will keep on growing with the shortage in paper supply,” Brikh adds.

Although the biggest share of the market is still PVC-coated wallcover, she says that more and more consumers are looking for more sustainable and natural wallcoverings. In this aspect, nonwovens printed directly have an important advantage. “Being free of PVC and other harmful substances, they represent a sustainable alternative to the PVC products,” she adds.

Sustainability is gaining more importance in the wallcovering market, which is moving to more sustainable solutions, she adds. “Consumers and professionals are searching for healthier solutions for their living and working spaces. They pay more attention to their ecological footprint, thinking of the sustainability of the materials they use for interior decoration as well as their health aspect (e.g. impact on indoor quality).” 

Ahlstrom-Munksjö works in close collaboration with its raw materials suppliers to assure that the cellulose meets the FSC requirements, and chemicals used for formulations are REACH compliant. “We are working continuously to guarantee that our products meet high safety, health, and environmental protection requirements. In particular, we have recently finalized a complete analysis of all our grades to define their emissions of 200 known VOCs, as well as heavy metals. This will allow us to have a clear vision of the impact of our products on indoor air quality, and develop product improvements, where necessary,” Brikh says.

Having this information, the company aims to apply for the European environmental certification (CE, A+ « Air Quality » label), as well as for self-declarations to officially guarantee the sustainability of its products.

Fibertex Nonwovens Develops FiberAcoustic
Fibertex Nonwovens has been supplying the home textiles market for the last 50 years. The company’s range of needlepunched products are mainly used as construction fabrics and are tailor made for these applications within furniture and bedding due to good visual aspects, high abrasion resistance as well as homogeneous strengths and elongations.

“Our products are designed to meet the needs for high production efficiency,” says Henrik Kjeldsen, CCO, who is responsible for Industrial, Construction and Advanced products at Fibertex. “At the same time, they offer textile-like properties to meet the consumers desired preferences. Compared to woven products these products are non-fraying.”

In addition to needlepunched products, Fibertex also supplies high loft products with long-term durability and resilience.

According to Kjeldsen, there is an increased focus on good acoustics both at home and in the work environment in order to improve general well being, but also to improve productivity in office and meeting room environments. As a result, Fibertex has developed a new range of products called FiberAcoustic which consists of top quality, environmentally-friendly materials, with excellent acoustic properties and exceptional sound absorption, for suspended ceilings, wall panels and floors.

Also, as sustainability becomes increasingly important in this market, Fibertex has developed a range of needlepunched products based on recycled PET fibers, which has similar characteristics as its standard product range of needlepunched products for the furniture industry in terms of good visual aspects and good strength and elongation.

“These products are becoming increasingly popular due to the fact, that they are based on a post-consumer raw material,” Kjeldsen says.

Fibrix Focuses on Furniture and Bedding
Fibrix, a nonwovens producer based in Conover, NC, offers a large range of technologies including carding, garneting, spray bonding, needlepunch, air lay, computer automated pattern cutting, stitching, FR and calendaring. This level of flexibility and capabilities give the Fibrix the ability to offer a wide range of products from the cover to the springs in the bedding and furniture market.

Fibrix’s nonwoven polyester-based products are often used as a foam replacement in indoor and outdoor furniture and bedding. “Fibrix products provide benefits over foam such as lighter weight, mildew resistant, recyclability and breathability. Nonwovens are also odorless and hypoallergenic,” says Keith White, CEO and president of Fibrix.

Unlike foam, Fibrix’s four-to-six inch cores for institutional type bedding (correctional/dorms/camps/healthcare) do not require additional flame-retardant materials to pass CFR1633. White says their thinner insulator pad materials are more durable than the thinner foam product.

In terms of design, White says they’re not seeing as much of the “overstuffed look” in furniture that was popular a few years ago. “Lines are a little straighter,” he says. “Densified fiber works well for front rail padding, top arm padding and it’s just as easy to pattern cut as foam. Our lighter weight products work equally as well for padding of outside arms and backs; helping to replace the two step operation of using cardboard and poly foam. In many instances it is easier and faster to work with than foam.”

The company recently added computer automated pattern cutting capabilities at two of its plants in North Carolina and Mississippi. It also added infant mattress components—cores and top layers—to its portfolio. Next, Fibrix is planning to add pre-cut kits for furniture fabricators, and is also looking into acoustical applications in walls and appliances.

Freudenberg Offers Evolon and Spunlaid Technologies
In the home textiles market, Freudenberg Performance Materials’ Evolon technology is mainly used for durable bedding applications like mattress encasings and bed linen, as well as pillow and duvet covers offering a high wash durability similar to traditional textiles. Technically, Evolon fabrics provide a chemical-free barrier to mite allergens, while ensuring excellent sleeping comfort.

Freudenberg’s latest version of Evolon, Evolon New Generation, is a high-tech textile made from super-microfilaments that are half the thickness and twice the density of those used in the original Evolon substrates. The substrate features a good balance of breathability, permeability to water vapor and thermal insulation, allowing it to provide the best combination of thermo-physiological properties for unparalleled comfort. Whereas the original Evolon was already a good solution for the manufacture of anti-mite encasings that help allergy sufferers, Evolon New Generation now provides a specific solution to make feather-filled pillows and quilts, filtering even tinier allergens and dust particles.

Meanwhile, Freudenberg’s proprietary spunlaid technology provides high performance primary and secondary backings for industrial tufted carpets and carpet tiles. “The benefits of our backings are highly dimensional stable, reliable and offer precise pattern repeat, exceptional lay-flat characteristics and constant surface uniformity, as well as non-fraying edges,” says Frank Heislitz, CEO, Freudenberg Performance Materials.

A number of trends in home and workplace design are influencing the need for more nonwovens in these spaces. One is the sustainability trend. “Architects, home furnishing companies and construction companies are requested by their customers to use components and products with low environmental footprint,” says Dr. Heislitz.
Therefore Freudenberg engineers are working continuously to decrease their manufacturing footprint and help customers to improve their handprint. Freudenberg has been incorporating more and more recycled content in its carpet backings, and has started to integrate post-consumer recycled polyester in some of its Evolon product range too. “We work on the durability of our products in order to help our customers extend their product life cycle,” Dr. Heislitz says.

Secondly, he adds, people want to live and work in healthier indoor environments. Freudenberg carpet backings are manufactured without chemical binder, while Evolon products used for bedding applications are free from chemical additives and are certified by Oeko-Tex Standard 100 product class I.

Another trend Freudenberg is witnessing deals with the mobility and flexibility of workplaces: acoustic, easy to clean, easy to install. The company believes carpet tiles are the ideal flooring solution for the modern workplace. “They provide excellent acoustic performance, and provide handling flexibility,” Dr. Heislitz explains. “Tufted carpet tiles which incorporate Freudenberg backings are also easy to clean and extremely easy to install thanks to the non-fraying edges of our backings.”

Evolon fabrics are also endowed with acoustic properties and can be used for custom-made projects to decrease the sound level of workplaces.

Customization and aesthetics are also important in the market, Dr. Heislitz adds. “People want to create their own atmosphere at home and demand more and more aesthetics in workplaces and commercial areas as well.”

The compatibility with digital printing is a key feature for products used in homes, offices and hotels today. Due to its unique polyester spunlaid technology, Freudenberg carpet backings offer the necessary dimensional stability required by digital printing machines for carpets.

Jones Specializes in Sustainability
Jones Nonwovens’ line of engineered solutions for the mattress industry includes products for almost every “construction zone” in a mattress. These products include FR barriers, comfort batting, synthetic, natural and animal fiber quilting layers, structural insulators and foam replacement products.

These webs are produced on a wide range of structuring technologies including garnetts, cross-lappers, needling, carding and airlaid. Many of Jones’ solutions combine multiples of these technologies with thermal bonding to achieve specific performance objectives.

“Our nonwovens performance advantage is due in large part to the variety of fiber inputs and the use of the best combination of technologies to engineer the products,” says Monica Cadaret, vice president of operations.

Andrew Dailey, senior vice president, sales & business development, says the company’s engineered solutions meet technical performance criteria with the environmental and economic advantage achievable with nonwovens. Nonwovens meet structuring, tensile, durability and thickness objectives with sustainable raw materials and lighter weights that conventional textile structures cannot.

Jones has been in the “sustainable solutions” market for a long time. “Our foundation is built on upcycling industrial textile by-products,” Dailey says. “The market is trending to Jones as consumer awareness and demand for environmental impact reduction rises. Our raw material inputs include natural plant-based fibers including cotton, hemp and jute, and animal fibers ranging from wool, alpaca, cashmere and even camel hair.”

William Moore, director of sales/operations at Jones, notes that sustainability initiatives are now touching just about every supply chain and market. “From product design through sourcing, stakeholders must assess the long-term impact to our environment as decisions are made,” he says.

For decades, Jones has used cotton and pre-consumer recycled cotton sources as part of its natural and sustainable heritage.

“Today, green/sustainable means so many different things and includes concepts such as biodegradable, compostable, curbside recyclable, landfill diversion, etc. Jones continues to adapt as our markets evolve and now offers products that meets these criteria for our primary markets,” Moore adds.

Jones president and CEO CP Davis says the company is committed to removing self-imposed limits regarding raw material inputs. In the fourth quarter of 2019, Jones expanded its global sourcing capabilities with a focus on bringing market changing fiber innovations into its mix. Many of these fiber additions included greenfield plant fibers such as banana fiber and hemp. “Sourcing and innovation are key strategies driving our growth,” he says.

Scandinavian Nonwoven: Experts in Spunbond and Needlepunch
Within the home furnishings market, Kristianstad, Sweden-based Scandinavian Nonwoven is mainly focused on the bedding manufacturing industry as it has seen a significant interest from that market in recent years as consumers have been investing more money in better sleep.

Specifically, Scandinavian Nonwoven offers spunbond and needlepunched felt to bed manufacturers. The nonwoven is used to wrap the springs to protect other materials from sharp edges. It is also used to protect against dust and to dampen sound to create a more luxurious bed experience. Nonwovens are also used to clad the backs, inserts or undersides of furniture and beds that are not visible to the eye. Spunbond can also be used as an outer material in covers and pillows or in thermo covers.

According to Johan Georgson, CEO, the main reason Scandinavian’s customers choose to use nonwovens is due to nonwovens being a more cost-effective alternative to other fabrics. “When wrapping springs, for example, it often requires large volumes of material,” he says. “And since nonwoven can be welded instead of sown, it is much easier to work with as an alternative to fabrics while still being soft and pliant.”

As other nonwovens producers have noted, the trend right now is pointing towards more sustainable nonwovens. “The majority of new requests from bed manufacturers are relating to sustainability,” Georgson says. “Many bed manufacturers are positioning themselves as providers of crafted beds built from natural materials.”

Scandinavian has seen a wider interest for starch-based PLA spunbond and recycled needlepunched felt or needlepunched felt made from PET, for example.

“We are continuously working on new nonwoven innovations and trying to expand our range – often in collaboration with our customers – and we are currently working on several interesting nonwoven innovations with bed manufacturers with a sustainability perspective,” Georgson adds.


Solution to Help Make Carpets Fully Recyclable in Development
Trinseo, a global materials company and manufacturer of plastics, latex binders and synthetic rubber, is investing resources into the development of bio-based and traditionally-derived latex binders to contribute to the circularity of nonwoven substrates.

Trinseo’s emulsion polymer binders are already used extensively in nonwoven applications in both full bath impregnation and one-sided coatings on the back and face to increase performance. By using new bio-based materials, Trinseo will also be able to deliver latex binders that not only deliver an increase in strength, hand and durability, but which also contribute to growing sustainability targets. A binder currently in development will help carpet backings become fully recyclable.

Rainer Knappich, global business director Latex Binders Paper, Board and Textile, comments: “We believe strongly in the circularity of latex binders in nonwoven applications and to truly close the loop on circularity, we must start with more sustainable materials.

“At Trinseo, sustainability is a key driver of our product development and part of the company’s commitment to developing binders solutions that deliver on performance, environmental and regulatory compliance, and processing efficiencies—while meeting individual customer needs.”