As this issue went to press, the global nonwovens industry was convening for the IDEA 2022 trade exhibition in Miami Beach, FL, North America’s largest nonwovens-related gathering.

In the three years since the last IDEA Exhibition and Conference, the global nonwovens industry has seen an unprecedented rate of expansion with new line investments representing all types of nonwovens technology and impacting all the major world regions.

Some of this investment was spurred by increased need for medical items and PPE caused by Covid but other reasons for this growth include increased penetration of hygiene items in developing regions, an increased consumer reliance on disinfectant and flushable wipes and new applications for nonwovens.

As this new capacity comes onstream and opens up new doors for all types of nonwovens technology, the focus on sustainability will begin to sharpen. While this is evident on store shelves with the emergence of natural based products and product lines, it is even more apparent when you look at the nonwovens industry supply chain. Companies who supply to nonwovens, sell nonwovens and use nonwovens are constantly looking at ways to make their product lines greener and to reduce the impact of their overall production processes.

This month, Nonwovens Industry reports on what a few nonwovens industry suppliers are doing to help their customers on their green journey (see page 28). Their stories are varied with everyone taking a unique path toward sustainability.

There is no doubt that these efforts will help improve the environmental footprint of the global nonwovens industry for generations to come.

As always, we appreciate your comments.


Karen McIntyre
Editor
[email protected]