It’s been quite the journey for the wipes industry over the last few years. As wipes demand surged overall in 2020 at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, causing shortages of disinfectant wipes, closures across industries—including fitness facilities, hotel and lodging, restaurants, schools, universities and others—caused sharp declines for wipes in the industrial and institutional sector. As businesses and facilities reopened in 2021, the market began to rebound, and today companies in the wipes industry are reporting similar growth patterns to the pre-pandemic days.

The wipes market for industrial and institutional use has performed almost opposite to the consumer retail market over the past three years, according to Michael Wettstein, SVP Sales and Operations, Kleen Test Products Corporation, a supplier of wet wipes and liquid filled products. “At the beginning of the Covid pandemic, the demand for wipes in the I&I market quickly dropped. This was due to the policies around remote work, remote learning and social distancing that limited the need for cleaning at businesses, schools, large venues, fitness centers, and in medical facilities. As the pandemic restrictions ease and people return to offices, schools, athletic facilities, and other large venues, the demand for wipes continues to move back toward pre-pandemic levels.”

According to a new wipes study from The Freedonia Group, which provides historical data for 2011, 2016 and 2021 and forecasts for 2026 and 2030 for wipe demand, the market for industrial and institutional wipes rebounded in 2021 following a depressed 2020 that was attributable to the Covid-19 pandemic, as the foodservice market was negatively impacted by restaurant closures, and hospitals saw the cancellation of non-emergency procedures and focused more on telehealth. In 2021, the market for industrial and institutional wipes was approximately $1.5 billion, estimated at the converters’ level, according to Freedonia. Demand through 2026 is expected to increase 2.8% per year.

“Overall, the market for I&I wipes declined in 2020, unable to overcome the challenges presented by the pandemic,” says Dan Debelius, senior analyst, The Freedonia Group. “However, in 2021 the market rebounded and, despite the volatility, it is expected to show annual growth from 2021 to 2026 similar to growth seen from 2016 to 2021, evening out to more normal trend patterns.”

The market for I&I wipes remains strong and continues to present new opportunities for suppliers, he adds. “That said, the market for surface disinfectant wipes was particularly challenged during the early part of the Covid-19 pandemic. A surge in demand for these products caused shortages in retail and non-retail settings. So much so that suppliers had to prioritize healthcare facilities over restocking shelves as they worked to meet the spike in demand. As the overall market steadies through the forecast, demand for some pandemic-surge products will lessen.”

Hospeco, one of the largest converters of wipers and wipes in North America, expects the wipes market to continue to grow. “It was affected by the transition to remote working, but as people return to the office, that demand will return,” says Bill Hemann, executive vice president, Hospeco Brands Group. “The requirement for clean, safe and sanitary environments will continue to drive growth in the wipes market.”

Also anticipating continued growth in the market is PDI, a major supplier of disinfectant wipes to the healthcare and foodservice sectors. “This idea of cleaning for health is elevated over the idea of cleaning for aesthetics,” says Ramzy Nasrallah, senior director, Downstream Marketing, PDI Healthcare. “Post-Covid, new cleaning and disinfection processes and protocols are being embraced, making wipes more available for everyday use, and as a result I&I sales increased tremendously.”

According to PDI, healthcare environments are increasingly demanding faster and easier access to cleaning and disinfecting surfaces in order to maintain infection prevention protocols. “Facilities have a number of disinfectants and formats to choose from, including sprays, aerosols, dilutable concentrates and wipes,” Nasrallah explains. “Wipes are emerging as the standard for decontaminating low-risk patient equipment and high-touch environmental surfaces within the healthcare space because of their ease of use and reduced exposure to cross-contamination.”

The key attributes of cleaning wipes—ease of use, convenience, efficacy and the decreased risk of cross-contamination—are some of the major reasons businesses and institutions are increasingly replacing spray disinfectants and reusable cloths with wipes. This is especially the case in healthcare facilities where there is a risk of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).

“The convenience and efficiency of a disposable single use wipe makes this format more attractive than a spray liquid,” adds Wettstein of Kleen Test. “This is of particular importance in our current environment where labor to clean and sanitize institutional facilities is in short supply. The wipe makes it easy to control the dispersion of the solution and eliminates the need to wash towels. It is also more effective than continuous use of a used/soiled towel. Formulators have worked diligently to find the best combinations of effective chemicals combined with fabric options to create wipes that quickly clean and disinfect surfaces.”

According to Essity, which offers complete hygiene solutions through the Tork brand, including a wide variety of paper-based and nonwoven wipers, the Covid-19 pandemic reinforced the importance of proper surface hygiene across most segments of its business, including commercial and industrial. “While both disinfectant wipes and spray/towel disinfectant can be used to meet this new hygiene standard, disinfectant wipes offer a one-step disinfectant solution that, depending on its formulation, can be effective against a broad spectrum of viruses and bacteria,” says Gilles Betourne, product management director, Wiping & Cleaning, Professional Hygiene, Essity. “In addition, because wet wipes are pre-moistened with their respective disinfectant or cleaning solution, users can be confident on their cleaning efficacy.”

Overall, Betourne adds, wet wipes are easier to use, less prone to user error (as the cleaning solution is pre-determined), and their one-time usage reduces the risk of cross contamination. “Due to these factors, we’re seeing more adoption of wet wipes in the commercial segment, especially in offices where hot-desking or shared office space has been adopted.”

In February, Essity expanded its wipes business with the acquisition of New Jersey-based professional wiping and cleaning company Legacy Converting, Inc., which manufactures sanitizing and disinfecting wet wipes, chemical ready wipes and dry wipes. Among the products being made by Legacy Converting are the EPA-regulated Everwipe brand of disinfecting and wiping products. Founded in 2004, Legacy Converting manufactures roll and folded wipes in a variety of formats including pop-up canister, bucket and resealable packs, serving customers in the public interest, commercial and healthcare market segments via the industrial and office supply sales channels.

“The acquisition of Legacy Converting strengthened our product portfolio and expertise allowing us to better serve the end customer,” Betourne explains. “Legacy Converting helps to not only expand our professional hygiene offering and a more profound surface cleaning and disinfecting expertise, it allows for easier fulfillment of customers’ sustainable hygiene needs through one partner.”

Through this acquisition, Essity offers customers a broader range of surface hygiene solutions to better service the enhanced cleaning protocols post-pandemic, with products like its Surface Hygiene wet wipes and chemical ready systems.
In late 2020, Legacy expanded with the new state-of-the-art factory in Bordentown, NJ, to allow it to scale to meet the growing demand and importance for disinfectant wipes worldwide.

In other acquisition news, Ecolab Inc. grew its wipes manufacturing capabilities with the purchase of National Wiper Alliance (NWA) last year. NWA’s 500,000-square-foot wipes manufacturing facility located outside of Asheville, NC, recently added five new manufacturing lines.

Under Ecolab’s leadership, the facility will continue its successful contract manufacturing business and will produce several disinfecting wipes products, including Ecolab’s Disinfectant 1 Wipe. Disinfectant 1 Wipe (U.S. EPA Reg. No. 1677-263) is a one-step, ready-to-use, nonwoven disposable disinfectant wipe that can be used as part of a comprehensive environmental hygiene and infection prevention program. It kills 44 organisms in 60 seconds and is approved by the U.S. EPA for use against SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.

Hospeco has also grown through acquisition. Within the past two years the company purchased High-Tech Conversions, a manufacturer of cleanroom wipes. Hospeco has integrated High-Tech’s ISO Class 3+ wipers into its own product line. These wipers are available both dry and pre-saturated. “Their addition provides the industry’s broadest wiper offering available from a single source,” says Hemann.

Innovations Abound

Product development continues to be strong in the I&I wipes market, both on the converting and nonwovens sides.

Last year Hospeco began manufacturing a line of EPA-registered surface disinfectant wipes under its WetWorks brand, available in both jumbo rolls and canisters. WetWorks +Plus Pre-Saturated Surface Disinfecting Wipes feature a powerful EPA-registered disinfectant that quickly kills common dangerous bacteria like Staph, E.coli, Listeria, and Klebsiella pneumoniae.

The disinfecting wipe is intended for use in hospitals and healthcare/dental settings, laboratories, offices, shopping centers, catering facilities, corrections facilities, critical care areas, schools, beauty salons/barber shops, tattoo/pmu studios, transport vehicles, veterinary clinics, gyms, and more. WetWorks +Plus has also demonstrated effectiveness against viruses similar to the 2019 coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) on hard, non-porous surfaces. Therefore, this product can be used against SARS-CoV-2 when used in accordance with the directions for use against human coronavirus on hard, nonporous surfaces.

The hospital-grade, bleach- and alcohol-free dual-chain quaternary cleaner in WetWorks +Plus also kills cold and flu virus on hard, non-porous surfaces.

Hemann says there will be more to announce soon related to this product line extension.

On the floor care side, Hospeco recently launched Virtu-Clean Disposable Cleaning Pads, disposable, single-use mop pads that hold more liquid, release that liquid over a larger surface area and at a controlled rate, and reduce friction for more effort-free cleaning. The pads come in three types: Virtu-Clean VCU, Virtu-Clean DC and Virtu-Clean DCS.

Virtu-Clean pads’ microfiber construction assures more fiber is interacting with surfaces, maximizing the lift and hold of dust, dirt and grime. Plus, the cleaning surface employs a carefully mapped embossment pattern that reduces surface-to-mop friction, resulting in easy, even cleaning strokes and reduced musculoskeletal strain. The embossment also actively channels dirt toward the center of the pad where it remains. Finally, the sonically-welded edges won’t fray and lint—an essential characteristic for cleanrooms and healthcare—which leaves behind a cleaner floor.

Essity has also recently introduced a range of new products in the industrial and institutional wipes market as it continues to expand its portfolio in this sector. The company’s new biobased and plastic-free nonwoven Heavy-Duty Cleaning Cloth, which recently won two innovation awards at Interclean 2022, provides customers with a sustainable alternative to traditional heavy-duty cleaning wipes, without compromising on performance.

The Tork Heavy-Duty Cleaning Cloth, 99% biobased, is made from 99% plant-based fibers and sustainably sourced – independently certified by TÜV Austria as OK Biobased. It helps companies reduce their environmental impact while benefiting from improved performance for absorption, durability, linting and solvent consumption. In addition, Tork Cleaning Cloths are interfolded for easier, faster access and one-at-a-time dispensing. This means customers only touch what they take, reducing waste and cross-contamination.

PDI has also been in new product mode, with multiple launches this year. The new products, Sani-24 Germicidal Disposable Wipe, Sani-HyPerCide Germicidal Disposable Wipe and Sani-HyPerCide Germicidal Spray, further support PDI’s commitment to help prevent infections and promote health and wellness.

Sani-24 wipe is the first and only EPA-registered disinfectant that uses continuously active disinfectant (CAD), a revolutionary technology developed by a leader in antimicrobial solutions, Microban. CAD provides protection against a wide array of pathogenic organisms within a one-minute contact time, while leaving a protective layer of disinfectant on the surface as it dries. This anti-microbial shield will continuously kill ESKAPE pathogens, which are responsible for over 40% of HAIs in the healthcare environment, as well as SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.

“Surfaces and equipment in the healthcare environment are easily and quickly re-contaminated,” says Nasrallah. “If staff is stretched thin, they may struggle with adequate frequency of surface disinfection. CAD technology provides a bridge of protection where there may be gaps in disinfection practice while providing general disinfection benefits using chemistry with proven compatibility for various surfaces and devices in the healthcare setting.”

Meanwhile, Sani-HyPerCide disinfectant, available in wipe and spray formats, is a new, powerful and ready-to-use cleaner with a non-bleach, hydrogen peroxide formula effective against more than 20 HAI-causing microorganisms, including the highly-contagious, difficult-to-eradicate pathogens, Clostridioides difficile (C. diff), Candida auris (C. auris), and norovirus, as well as SARS-CoV-2. Designed as an alternative to bleach disinfectants, the Sani-HyPerCide portfolio provides easy-to-use and efficient one-step cleaning and disinfecting used for daily, terminal and outbreak cleaning, compatible with most materials and surfaces, and requires no mixing or diluting. Its innovative formulation and multi-purpose usability enhances overall time efficiency and reduces risk of uniform discoloration as seen with bleach products.

On the nonwovens side, Turkish manufacturer Mogul Nonwovens has recently launched its new patent-pending product Form-P to the market. For this, Mogul produces microfibers mixed with pulp to act as a liquid absorbent. During the process, the pulp is fiberized and layed between two microfiber fabric layers. The resulting fabric therefore consists of approximately 50%-60% pulp, yielding a remarkably thin liquid absorptive fabric, reinforced by a network of microfibers. “With fast absorbency and wicking rates and an absorbent capacity higher than many other medical fabrics, the Form-P fabric has the capacity to absorb 15 times its own weight in liquid and 30 times oil,” says Serkan Gögüs, CEO, Mogul Nonwovens.

Mogul developed Form-P for wet wipes, domestic, hospital and nursing homes, incontinence, birthing and nursing pads. Products web formed by this process become dimensionally stable, absorbent structures, even when wet.

Today, Mogul is observing an overwhelming demand for biodegradable and biobased materials in wipes market. “We do our best to put ourselves in a good position to meet market’s requirements,” Gögüs says. Therefore, different types of environmentally friendly products such as bamboo, tencel, bioPET and pulp materials are available among the company’s product portfolio, he adds.

Sustainability is also an area of focus for German nonwovens producer Sandler. “Sustainability continues to be a vital topic in the wipes market. However, it cannot be achieved through one single initiative; different options and paths must be explored,” says Jürgen Fiebig, head of Sales Hygiene Products, Sandler.

In industrial and institutional cleaning, Sandler offers nonwovens for floor cloths, dishcloths, all-purpose cloths, and substrates for disinfection wipes, which provide solutions for various applications: for cleaning glass or metal, for disposable or reusable products, in wet or dry applications.

Today, Sandler uses about 30% renewable and recycled raw materials. And, together with its customers and partners, the company is continually testing new raw material options, ascertaining which natural fibers are suitable for which products; and which combinations of materials will achieve the best results. “Each alternative fiber and each new development forms a piece of our #sandlerpuzzle, complementing an ever-growing picture of nature-based product solutions and forming a part of an ongoing investment in the future,” Fiebig says.

For its part, Berry Global, the world’s largest nonwovens manufacturer, has continued to expand its substrate capacity globally. Its global substrate manufacturing capabilities include spunmelt, spunlace, meltblown, adhesive bond, and its proprietary composite Spinlace technology.

A new spunlace line supporting consumer, industrial and institutional wipes is close to commercialization in the Netherlands and it plans to begin global shipments from this line in the next couple of months. “This asset provides expanded capacity in the wipes, healthcare and hygiene space with flexibility in raw material inputs combined with our proprietary Apex technology satisfying a need for sustainable solutions customized to individual needs,” says Paul Harmon, VP Product Development & Management, Berry Global.

Like most nonwovens producers, Berry has put sustainability at the forefront of its activities. In most instances, it has been able to replicate product performance with its sustainable portfolio, but the bigger challenge the company sees is the market’s willingness to change, Harmon says. “To try to help facilitate these changes, we have taken the approach of creating a menu of sorts, that our customer can pick from to help them stay within their cost expectations but still provide sustainable benefits. We believe that a product that improves the environment by even a small percentage is better than nothing.”


Interclean Amsterdam Held in May
By Helena Engqvist, Engqvist Consulting

In May, the international trade show Interclean at RAI in Amsterdam presented numerous ways of cleaning for all purposes and in all areas. Products and solutions were presented by 669 exhibitors for 25,886 visitors from 125 countries.

At the beginning of the show, the Amsterdam Innovation Award was given to Essity for its Tork Biobased Heavy-Duty Cleaning Cloth honored in the Sustainability & Environment category, based on a special spunlaced nonwoven with biobased fibers.

Other nominees and winners represented areas such as Smart Technologies & Digitalisation, Workforce & Ergonomics and Hygiene & Health.

The major trade show topics focused on infection prevention, cleaning and sustainability with complete industry overviews and insights into global developments. Visitors represented all major international cleaning manufacturers, distributors and cleaning contractors and decision-makers from the largest industrial, commercial, medical, institutional, hospitality and foodservice facilities.

In the Healthcare Cleaning Lab Theater, cleaning products and practices specifically for the healthcare industry were shared, live demonstrations were held in a hospital setting that taught specialized cleaning methods, guidelines, dress codes, hand hygiene and much more. The demonstrations were presented by a professional from SVS, a Dutch educational institute for the facility and cleaning industry. In addition to the demonstration area, presentations were given on a wide range of topics involving cleaning and infection prevention sharing expert views on the merits and benefits of new technologies and solutions such as nonwovens, UVC and air quality with improved filtration and air cleaning.

On the third day, The Healthcare Cleaning Forum shared insights from Professor Didier Pittet, director of the Infection Control Programme at the University of Geneva Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine, chairman for Clean Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland, about “Healthcare environmental hygiene beyond Covid-19.”

Several presentations focused on patient safety, guidelines for environmental hygiene: The hospital environment as a source of Pseudomonas infections; How to balance sustainability with the need for efficacy and convenience; and Why we need innovation in environmental hygiene and how to foster it.

Robert Stelling, director Interclean Global Events, shared his thoughts: “We can look back on four very successful days, with a positive vibe in the exhibition halls. Everyone was extremely happy to finally meet each other again in person. We received many positive responses, from business contacts who were pleasantly surprised about the international nature of the exhibition, exhibitors who were able to make many more new contacts or close new orders and speakers who talked enthusiastically about the large audiences and their willingness to interact. This week has demonstrated that the power of personal interaction is extremely valuable.

“I am also proud of the Healthcare Cleaning Forum where we bridged the gap between infection prevention and cleaning. It was also fantastic to see how our sector is dealing with sustainability. On top of all that we learned that robotization has now really taken off. We cannot wait until 2024!”