Last month president Barack Obama issued a call to diaper manufacturers to make diapers more affordable to parents. Citing estimates that one in three families have trouble affording diapers, the president has also earmarked $10 million in his proposed budget to study diaper affordability.

Disposable diapers have long gone from being a luxury to a modern day necessity. Not only are they convenient but they aid in the overall health and well being of the infant. However, this well being comes with a price tag, which can often be higher at the small corner shops many urban-based lower income families frequent.

For the last five years, the National Diaper Bank Network has worked to alleviate this problem, placing millions of diapers into the homes of poorer families. With the help of diaper brands like Huggies—who will donate 22 million diapers this year—Cuties—who has partnered with jet.com to developed a no frills diaper economy pack—and many other diaper manufacturers around the world, the network continues to fight diaper need but its leaders say that this is not enough. There are 5.3 million under the age of three living in low-income families in the U.S. alone. Currently diaper banks serve only one million of those children.

My question is what is the nonwovens industry currently doing to help address diaper need? Baby diapers are the products on which this industry was built and they continue (at least for now) to represent the largest market globally. Nonwovens producers around the globe continue to invest in large, multi-million dollar new lines to capitalize on growth in the emerging markets as most consumers in countries like China, Brazil, Indonesia and India have money to diaper their children. But, what about the children in the developed world who go without diapers? Is your company doing something to help? Nonwovens Industry would love to know about these efforts.

Speaking of efforts, by now everyone should be in full blown IDEA mode. The year’s largest nonwovens exhibition will be held next month in Boston, MA, and this issue of Nonwovens Industry has all of the information you need to plan your trip to the exhibition.

Turn to page 56 for a full list of exhibitors, a look at what some exhibitors plan to present and a look at the IDEA Achievement Awards.

See you in Boston.