Medical Nonwovens Enhance Healthcare Protection

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Medical nonwovens continue to benefit from several long-term growth drivers, including aging populations, rising healthcare costs, increasing surgical procedures and heightened awareness of infection prevention. These trends are driving demand for materials that provide reliable protection while also meeting growing expectations around comfort, performance and environmental responsibility.

Mariana Mynarski, corporate marketing & ESG for Brazilian nonwovens producer Fitesa, says patient and healthcare professional safety remains the highest priority, sustaining demand for products that provide reliable protection while meeting increasingly stringent technical, quality and regulatory requirements. “We also see growing awareness of the benefits of disposable products in reducing contamination risks and supporting infection prevention protocols, as well as the introduction of new technical standards and regulatory requirements in developing markets.” 

Additionally, she says there is ongoing demand for materials that enhance comfort, breathability and ease of use, particularly in applications where healthcare professionals wear protective products for extended periods.

Medical nonwovens are engineered to meet the specific performance requirements of a wide range of healthcare applications, leading manufacturers to develop diverse technology portfolios tailored to different end uses.

Turkish nonwovens manufacturer Mogul, for example, supplies meltblown, spunbond, spunlace, SM/SMS/MMM composite structures, laminated nonwovens, microfilament fabrics and elastic meltblown materials for applications including surgical gowns and drapes, medical wipes, wound care and filtration. The company also recently introduced Metaint, a microdenier nonwoven developed for advanced medical filtration applications.

Similarly, Teknomelt manufactures multilayer medical nonwoven fabrics such as spunbond and SMS/SMMS for products including surgical gowns, drapes, sterilization wraps, face masks and other personal protective equipment. According to general manager Salih Ziya Gümüser, the spunbond layers in these composite structures provide strength and mechanical durability, while the intermediate meltblown layers act as effective barriers against bacteria and fluids.

“As the number and arrangement of layers increase, the barrier performance is further enhanced,” he explains. “This enables us to offer different levels of protection within the same product family, ranging from low-risk medical procedures to high-risk surgical operations.”

Magnera, one of the world’s largest nonwovens manufacturers, also offers a broad portfolio of technologies, including spunlace, SMS/spunbond, wetlaid, meltblown and airlaid materials used in applications such as surgical gowns and drapes, wound care, patient wipes and underpads, among others.

“This diverse technology portfolio enables tailored performance characteristics including absorbency, fluid management, protection, softness, strength, breathability and comfort to support the evolving needs of the healthcare industry,” says Nyle Bishop, senior director, Global Innovation R&D, Magnera.

Fitesa likewise offers spunmelt, spunlace, meltblown, laminated composite, film and elastic technologies to serve applications including surgical gowns and drapes, sterilization wrap, respiratory protection, protective apparel, surgical towels and sanitization wipes. Mynarski says that Fitesa develops materials that meet international performance standards while helping customers deliver both safety and comfort without compromising performance.

These materials and technologies enable manufacturers to produce a wide range of disposable medical products used throughout hospitals and other healthcare settings.

Medline, a manufacturer of single-use personal protective equipment (PPE), offers AAMI-rated gowns, ASTM-rated face masks, NIOSH-approved N95 respirators, protective headwear, footwear, coveralls, lab coats and other disposable PPE. According to Taylor Scott, Medline’s director of Product Management, Personal Protection, the versatility of nonwovens allows them to be manufactured in a variety of sizes, materials, packaging formats and linting levels, making them easy to wear across a range of body types and healthcare settings while remaining easy to store, use and dispose of. “Depending on the application, they can be engineered with varying levels of porosity, breathability and moisture wicking, and they don’t require cleaning,” he says. “These characteristics make nonwovens a practical fit for the priorities shaping healthcare today.”

Cardinal Health, which manufactures a wide portfolio of healthcare products, also highlights the versatility of nonwoven materials across healthcare applications.

“Nonwoven materials are particularly well-suited for healthcare because they can deliver a wide range of performance characteristics while remaining lightweight and cost-effective. Their inherent versatility allows manufacturers to tailor properties such as fluid management, breathability, barrier protection and comfort to meet the specific requirements of each application.”

—Kathy Tremblay, senior director, Global Research & Development,
Cardinal Health Global Medical Products & Distribution.

Nonwovens can be designed to be either hydrophilic or hydrophobic, enabling effective moisture control in products ranging from surgical gowns to incontinence care products, she adds. “In more advanced applications such as surgical gowns, multi-layered nonwoven structures can provide a reliable AAMI Level 3 or 4 barrier against fluids and moisture while still maintaining air permeability and breathability for the wearer. This is especially important in surgical settings, where both protection and comfort are critical.”

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Next-Generation Solutions

Innovation across the medical nonwovens industry is increasingly focused on enhancing barrier protection while improving comfort, sustainability and manufacturing efficiency.

In the healthcare category, Mogul’s main innovation focus is combining higher barrier performance, improved breathability, skin compatibility, liquid management, lightness and sustainable production within the same product, according to Fatih Palta, Mogul’s sales director.

Meltblown, SMS and multilayer composite structures provide critical barrier properties for infection control, while spunlace and microfilament technologies improve comfort in products that come into contact with the skin. Laminated and coated solutions offer enhanced protection in applications such as fluid-resistant gowns, surgical drapes and medical packaging, he adds.

Ahlstrom, one of the world’s largest nonwovens manufacturers, recently launched a breathable protective apparel fabric designed for chemotherapy drug handling in clinical, laboratory and operating room environments. ChemoGard BVB combines breathable comfort, AAMI Level 4 viral barrier protection and chemotherapy drug resistance in a lightweight tri-laminate construction. 

Tested in accordance with ASTM D6978 chemotherapy permeation standards, ChemoGard BVB provides up to 240 minutes of protection against hazardous chemotherapy drugs such as Carmustine. The fabric also features low lint construction for clinical environments and construction without intentionally added PFAS to support evolving product requirements. 

“As the demands on healthcare environments continue to evolve, the market needs protective apparel materials that help support both safety and comfort,” says Kimberly Anders, vice president, Medical, Ahlstrom. “ChemoGard BVB strengthens our portfolio with a solution designed to help protect clinicians handling chemotherapy drugs while supporting safer care environments for patients and healthcare professionals.”

Nonwoven producers are also investing in new technologies to improve production consistency and support the development of next-generation medical nonwovens.

In addition to developing products through its R&D center, Teknomelt also works to improve its manufacturing processes to make them smarter and more sustainable. Recently, the Turkish nonwovens manufacturer has been focusing on projects involving AI-assisted analysis of production parameters, process optimization and digital monitoring of product performance. 

“These initiatives enable us to achieve greater production consistency, reduce defect rates and monitor product performance with enhanced precision,” Gümüser says.

The company’s R&D activities also continue to focus on the use of bio-based and lower environmental impact raw materials in medical applications. Starting with laboratory-scale studies and gradually advancing toward pilot production, its objective is to reduce the environmental footprint of its materials without compromising barrier performance or user comfort. 

“Although patient safety and regulatory compliance will always remain our top priorities in medical products, we believe that developing sustainable material alternatives is essential for the future of the industry,” Gümüser explains.

Another area of innovation is the development of alternative chemistries that maintain barrier performance while addressing evolving regulatory requirements. 

Magnera recently introduced a proprietary innovation that delivers fluid repellency needed by healthcare professionals and other industries without the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

PFAS have been widely used for decades in medical gowns, drapes and other protective textiles due to their durability and resistance to water, oil and stains. However, evidence of PFAS persistence in the environment and possible associated health risks has prompted global regulatory action and growing demand for alternatives.

According to Bishop, one of the key challenges was replacing per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemistry, for which no direct non-PFAS alternative exists. 

“Successfully meeting application requirements required a dual innovation approach: developing a new non-PFAS solution and optimizing the underlying material structures,” he explains. “Together, these advancements enabled the desired balance of protection, durability and performance without the use of intentionally added PFAS.”

The development comes as healthcare manufacturers prepare for increasing restrictions on PFAS in several global markets while seeking alternatives that deliver the same level of protection without intentionally added PFAS.

“Our new solution meets the industry’s stringent standards for protection, comfort and compliance in articles such as surgical gowns or drapes, while reducing potential pollutants,” says Paul Harmon, chief innovation and marketing officer at Magnera.

According to the company, the nonwoven fabrics offer high-performance fluid repellency without intentionally added PFAS, comfort and breathability for protective textiles and alignment with evolving global regulatory trends and increased environmental responsibility.

Innovation is also taking place at the end-product level, as healthcare manufacturers apply advances in nonwovens to develop solutions that address evolving clinical needs.

As a manufacturer of healthcare products, Cardinal Health’s nonwoven-based portfolio spans a range of applications, including incontinence management, wound care, patient monitoring, surgical products and infection prevention products.

In the surgical space, recent innovations include the Hip-O Anterior Hip Drape, a single product designed specifically for anterior hip replacements that can help eliminate the need for multiple drapes, and the SmartGown EDGE Breathable Surgical Gown with ASSIST Instrument Pockets, the first surgical gown with instrument pockets helping to provide protection and efficiency in the operating room. 

Another recent development is its Hydrogel Anti-Fog Surgical Mask, featuring a hydrogel strip on the bridge of the nose that provides strong adhesion and helps reduce eyewear fogging for clinicians during long surgical procedures.

Medline is also seeing continued demand for PPE improvements, particularly in categories such as face masks and boot covers, where the company is focused on performance factors including grip, comfort and protection.

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Future Trends

Looking ahead, the next phase of medical nonwovens will be shaped by innovations that enhance performance, improve sustainability and support evolving healthcare requirements.

Teknomelt sees the greatest opportunities ahead in high-performance barrier fabrics, sustainable medical nonwoven solutions, advanced filtration applications and digital manufacturing technologies.

“Artificial intelligence-driven process control, data analytics and smart manufacturing systems will enable manufacturers to achieve more consistent product quality, lower resource consumption and higher production efficiency,” says Gümüser.

Additionally, the expansion of sustainability regulations and global initiatives aimed at reducing the environmental impact of healthcare are expected to increase demand for next-generation materials. Gümüser expects recyclable and bio-based medical nonwoven products to evolve from niche solutions into increasingly common requirements in healthcare tenders and procurement specifications over the next decade.

Cardinal Health also sees sustainability as an important area of focus. “For nonwoven products within the healthcare industry, organizations are exploring bio-based and cellulosic materials,” Tremblay says. “For these nonwoven solutions to be effective, they must provide similar performance characteristics clinicians have come to expect, including barrier protection, breathability and comfort. Cost and overall value remain important as health systems continue to balance sustainability goals with ongoing financial pressures.”

At the same time, she notes that advances in materials and manufacturing are supporting the development of nonwovens using less material without sacrificing performance. “Lighter-weight, more efficient construction has the potential to maintain or improve barrier protection, comfort and conformability, helping healthcare systems balance sustainability goals with clinical needs.”

From Magnera’s perspective, the removal of intentionally added PFAS chemistry from barrier products is expected to significantly reshape the operating room (OR) product portfolio, driving the adoption of innovative PFAS-alternative material solutions and enabling new product designs. 

“As the industry transitions to these next-generation technologies, a critical design objective will be maintaining the balance between barrier performance, regulatory compliance and healthcare provider comfort,” Bishop explains. “Ensuring optimal breathability, mobility, and wearability will remain key factors in the development of future OR products.”