The Adult Incontinence Market in North America

Rory Holmes, Past-President of INDA said AI in NA was now worth $4.3bn and the market now consumed 11 billion pads per annum.  For comparison the figures for femcare and diapers are $5.39bn/46.9bn units and $7.36bn/29.4bn units respectively.  AI is now consuming 87,000 tonnes of nonwovens compared with 47,000 tonnes in femcare and 236,000 tonnes in diapers.  Of the body-worn AI nonwoven tonnage, 44,300 went through retail and 15,500 through hospitals and care homes.  23,500 tonnes went into underpads and 3,800 tonnes went to all AI products in Mexico. 

By 2017, 13bn units of AI products would be sold in NA, and this represented a growth rate of 3.5%, compared with 1.5% for diapers and 2.1% for femcare.  In tonnage terms the AI nonwoven use would be 103,500 tonnes compared with 52,000 of femcare and 261,000 tonnes for diapers.

The main growth driver is the increasing availability of well designed disposable light incontinence garments which are much thinner (i.e. use composite cores) and more like normal underwear.  They are stretchable, breathable and can incorporate odour control and wetness indicators for institutional use.

With 16% of the NA population expected to be over 65 by 2020, and the government encouraging home-care of the elderly, the home-care use of AI products is accelerating.  State agencies and retail organisations are therefore developing performance standards for AI.

Asked about the low growth of diaper sales, Dr Holmes thought the recession could be to blame.  What proportion of over 65’s has an incontinence problem? About 1/3^rd, but the proportion rises to about 70% for the over 80’s.  Incontinence in middle aged men due to prostate problems and in middle aged women after childbirth is also on the increase. There is as yet no surgical cure for the problem.

The State of the Nonwovens Industry

This the first of a series of summaries of papers presented at the INDA Vision Conference in Orlando, in January this year.

David Rousse, President of INDA reviewed the global nonwovens industry scene, reminding us that when a country’s Purchasing Power Parity rose above $1500 per capita per year, the disposable femcare market would begin to develop.  Above $3500/year, $8000/year and $10000/year, disposable diapers, wipes and incontinence products (respectively) would commence to be in demand.  $10000/year equated to an annual nonwoven consumption of about a kilo/capita and this consumption rose roughly linearly with PPP to reach about 5 kg/capita at the North American income of $50,000/capita. 

• Globally 7.9 million tonnes of nonwovens were produced in 2012 and this was expected to reach 11.3 million by 2017, a CAGR of 7.6%
• NAFTA was stuck in a low growth mode (~2%) but the dollar was stable and interest in environmental protection and sustainability was increasing.  NAFTA consumed 24.5% of global nonwovens.
• The EU is a no-growth or declining area overall with a declining Euro and a high and increasing interest in the environment.  The EU consumed 25.5% of global nonwovens
• Japan was declining, the population ageing, and incontinence products were now outselling disposable diapers.
• China was growing, but less strongly, had an appreciating currency and was flirting with sustainability issues.  Population age was stable, but labour costs were increasing. China consumed 23% of global nonwovens.
• India is where China was 25 years ago.  The rupee is down and the population is still growing. There’s no interest in sustainability and no infrastructure (outside the cities) to allow disposable use.
• China and ROW were the growth regions.  China now operated a quarter of the world’s SMS machines.
• Spunbond, needlepunch and spunlaced technologies were growing most (~8%/year to 2017 globally).
• Wipes and Filtration markets were the growing most rapidly (17%/year to 2017) while nonwovens for Automotive (15%) and Construction (12%) were also doing well.

Mr Rousse suggested we pay particular attention to the following “gamechangers”:

Galaxy® - new directions for the world's leading tampon fibre

How varied the possible fields of applications for the viscose speciality fibres from the Bavarian producer Kelheim Fibres can be is proven by their patented viscose fibre Galaxy®. Galaxy® is the world's leading viscose fibre for tampons - and can now be found in a completely different application, namely in a direct solar desalination panel. The solar desalination panel called CarocellTM made by the Australian company F Cubed, is used for the cleaning and the desalination of water and is designed to provide access to clean drinking water on a global scale. 

Almost one billion people have no safe drinking water supply which causes a death rate of 10,000 people per day due to water borne diseases and the majority of these deaths are among children; with its CarocellTM product F Cubed offers a solution for this huge social problem.CarocellTM is a very simple system which can easily be positioned almost anywhere; the polluted water is fed into the CarocellTM panel by gravity, pressure or a solar pump. Following the natural water cycle of evaporation and condensation, an average of 15 litres per day of pure water is produced - that is enough to meet the needs of a single family - and up to 25 litres and more can be produced on hot summer days. Only solar energy is used and there is no pollution of the environment with chemicals or greenhouse gases. CarocellTM is a modular unit and can therefore operate as a single panel or as multi-panels for higher water production for towns and commercial applications such as treating industrial or mining waste water.

In order to keep the cost of CarocellTM panels as low as possible while maintaining high levels of efficiency, the developers paid particular attention to the design and the materials used in the panel: so, the nonwoven inside the panel is made of the viscose speciality fibre Galaxy®. The excellent liquid absorption and distribution capacity of the Galaxy® fibre are not only of value in tampons: in a comparative test on different nonwoven fabrics, carried out by an independent institute, the fibre with its typical trilobal cross-section delivered the best distribution of water in the nonwoven; at the same time, the high surface area of Galaxy® improved the evaporation of the water.
Another benefit is the fact that Kelheim Fibres delivers the fibres in spun-dyed form and additional dyeing, which would be costly and laborious considering the small amount of fibres needed, is not necessary.

The CarocellTM units are already being exported to 23 countries with a growing demand from governments, NGO's and corporations looking for a sustainable future.

Source: Kelheim Fibres

Biodegradable Diapers from recycled cardboard

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed a process that enables recycled paper and cardboard to be used as a raw material for nonwovens. Hygiene and home care products, such as nappies, sanitary towels and cleaning cloths, are among the many items that can be manufactured from the biodegradable nonwovens. The manufacturing costs of cardboard-based nonwovens are around 20% lower than for nonwovens produced from wood raw materials. The forest industry will be among those likely to benefit from new business opportunities opened up by nonwovens based on recycled paper and cardboard.

Nonwovens are essentially consumer goods that once used will end up in a landfill site along with other community waste. In the metropolitan area alone, an estimated 10,000 tonnes of nappies and sanitary towels are disposed of each year. The principle raw material in nonwovens manufacture is biologically non-degradable polyester. Up to now, market entry for bio-based nonwovens derived from wood has stalled because of prohibitive production costs.

“Now for the first time we can make use of recycled paper and cardboard as a nonwovens raw material,” says Ali Harlin, Research Professor at VTT. “The new process means that bio-based nonwovens are now more competitive on price in comparison with plastic-based products. The manufacturing costs of cardboard-based nonwovens are around 20% lower than for nonwovens produced from wood raw materials. New business opportunities should open up fairly rapidly, since the technology required for manufacturing nonwovens from recycled materials is already in place.”

Every year Europe generates around 60 million tonnes of recycled paper, of which cardboard makes up around 40%. The demand exists for new applications and technology for exploiting recycled paper due to the EU’s objective of raising the proportion of recycled paper to 70 per cent. The method developed by VTT could extend future possibilities for re-use, particularly in the case of cardboard, which is more cost-effective as a raw material than fine paper.

Cleansing the cardboard of filler material, lignin and hemicellulose is a key part of nonwovens manufacture. VTT has matched several fibre-processing methods in the preparation of dissolving pulp to assist in obtaining pure cellulose from the recycled cardboard. The dissolving pulp produced in the research project was regenerated using VTT’s patented carbamate technology, which is safer and more environmentally friendly than the traditional viscose process. The nonwovens were manufactured with foam forming technology that uses little water.

Around 1.9 million tonnes of various types of nonwovens were manufactured in Europe in 2011. Strong growth in the global market for nonwovens is forecast to continue for the foreseeable future. Apart from hygiene, health and cleaning products, the nonwovens have further applications in, among others, the construction industry.

Source:  VTT Technical Research Centre Press Release 13/3/13

Photo1: Senior Scientist Marjo Määttänen holding a piece of nonwoven manufactured from recycled cardboard. Photo: Antonin Halas

Photo2: Pure cellulose is obtained from cardboard and finally turned into nonwovens. Photo: Antonin Halas

Photo3: A piece of nonwoven fabric manufactured from recycled cardboard.Photo: Antonin Halas

Nippon Paper Makes Cellulose Nanofibres from Pulp

Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd. (President: Yoshio Haga) has decided to build new verification and production facilities for cellulose nanofibers at Iwakuni Mill of Chemical Division to develop the cellulose nanofiber business using pulp as materials.

Cellulose nanofibers are materials obtained by breaking plant fibers (pulp) down to the nano-order level, several orders of magnitude smaller than a micron. They provide excellent features: the elasticity is as high as that of aramid fibers known for high intense fiber, they stretch well just like glass as temperature changes, and they provide high barrier performance to gas, including oxygen. Also, as they come from plant fibers, they are characterized by a low environmental footprint in production and disposal, as well as light weight. Cellulose nanofibers are expected to find many applications, such as reinforcements, thickener and gas barrier materials.

The new verification and production facilities for cellulose nanofibers will have an annual production capacity of 30 or more tons, and will start production in October 2013. The facilities will make it easy to disintegrate pulp by implementing prior treatment chemically. The basic development for this has already been conducted in a project called “Research and Development of Nanodevices for Practical Utilization of Nanotechnology” at the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). The new facilities will be Japan’s first full-fledged facilities producing cellulose nanofibers by chemical treatment. This project plan has been selected for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s innovation site support business, “Subsidies for Maintenance, etc. of Advanced Technology Verification and Assessment Facilities.”

The establishment of the facilities enables the full-scale supply of samples to facilitate the cellulose nanofiber business, and accelerates the development of applications. As a comprehensive biomass company, the Nippon Paper Group plans to enhance its technology to promote the overall use of forest resources, which are recyclable resources, and expand its business domains.

Kimberly-Clark Increases Production of Flu Face Masks

ROSWELL, Ga., Feb. 8 - With the 2012-2013 influenza season reaching epidemic levels across the U.S., Kimberly-Clark is continuing to increase production of face masks and other Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) products in response to increased customer demand from acute care facilities across the country.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the flu season began earlier than usual this year and is shaping up to be more severe than in years past¹. Kimberly-Clark, the market leader in facial protection in the U.S., has been closely monitoring CDC data and adjusting manufacturing schedules and inventory management in anticipation of continued increased demand from current customers for PPE, including face mask products.

"The health and safety of our valued customers and their patients is our most important priority," said John Amat, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Kimberly-Clark Health Care. "Kimberly-Clark representatives are proactively reaching out to all of our current customers to assure them that with our North America-based product supply, we can continue to provide the highest quality facial protection products throughout the flu season."

To further help customers, their patients and consumers prevent the spread of the flu, Kimberly-Clark recommends these simple prevention precautions:

• Get vaccinated - The CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine as the first and most important step in protecting against this serious virus.²
• Pay attention to hand hygiene - One of the best ways to help prevent the spread of the flu is to wash your hands with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.³
• Contain the germs - Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. This will block the spread of droplets from your mouth or nose that could contain germs.⁴

Additional tips and information for patients can be found at www.preventinfections.com. Kimberly-Clark also offers complimentary, accredited clinical education webinars on the topic of flu via The Kimberly-Clark Knowledge Network, http://en.haiwatch.com/ClinicalEducation.aspx#5.

P&G Connect+Develop Launches New Open Innovation Website

CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 7, 2013-- The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE: PG) just opened their front door even wider to open innovation collaboration.

Aiming to speed and simplify external innovation connections, P&G’s Connect+Develop program today launched a new website (pgconnectdevelop.com), linking innovators directly to top Company needs, and P&G business leaders directly to external innovation submissions.

In the spirit of C+D, the website was developed in collaboration with several external partners, which brought new innovative technology to the back-end of the site, enabling user submissions to directly feed into the business category leaders. This will allow P&G to review needs more quickly and more efficiently for strategic fit or scalability across the business.

“As P&G enters its Second Decade of Connect+Develop, our focus is on strengthening areas of our open innovation work to deliver more discontinuous, breakthrough innovations. Part of that work means making connections both easier and more effective,” said Laura Becker, General Manager Connect+Develop and Global Business Development.

The website lets innovators link directly to P&G’s posted needs, which are organized by business area and searchable by topic. Innovators also can access a full description of every need, including scale and success criteria. On the back-end, the site links P&G innovation managers with submissions, letting them search by topic or work area, share internally, and track progress.

P&G launched its Connect+Develop program more than 10 years ago and has developed more than 2,000 global partnerships, delivered dozens of global game-changer products to consumers, accelerated innovation development and increased productivity, both for P&G and its partners.

The website has served as P&G’s “open front door to the world,” allowing any innovator anywhere to share their innovations with the Company. The site, which includes translations in Chinese, Japanese, Spanish and Portuguese, receives about 20 submissions every weekday – or more than 4,000 a year – from all over the world.

Dude Wipes win INDA Vision Award

CARY, NC — February 5, 2013 — Incorporating social packaging and humorous, niche-driven branding, Dude Wipes from Dude Products was named the recipient of the prestigious 2013 Visionary Award, presented at the VISION 2013 Consumer Products Conference in Orlando, Florida. The Visionary Award is given to the most innovative new consumer product that utilizes nonwoven fabrics in its final form.

Dude Wipes was selected over four other finalists by the attendees at the 12^th annual VISION Conference, which was held from January 28-31, 2013 at the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando.

Celebrating its 12^th consecutive year as the most important conference bringing together the worlds of consumer products and nonwovens, the VISION Consumer Products Conference, organized by INDA, Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, attracted over 325 attendees from around the world. Through presentations and workshops by industry experts, the event once again focused attention on the growing role of nonwovens in consumer products.

The five finalists made presentations during VISION 2013 and conference attendees voted for the recipient of the 2013 Visionary Award.

Dude Wipes utilizes its novel packaging and humorous branding in its goal to change male hygiene routines and behavior. The product is wallet-sized, flushable and biodegradable and contains vitamin E and aloe.

“Dude Wipes is a superb example of innovating through clever positioning, packaging and marketing to meet the needs of a specific target market,” says Dave Rousse, President of INDA. “There were five outstanding products representing many aspects of consumer products and they were all winners by being selected as finalists in the 2013 competition.”

The other four 2013 Visionary Award finalists were:

* DiversiTech Merv 8+ and Merv 9+, DiversiTech Corporation. A pleated filter that has a full frame but takes up half a much storage space as a conventional cardboard filter because it is nestable when stacked.

* Poise® Panty Fresheners, Kimberly-Clark. These feminine fresheners are equipped with a clean and fresh scent that lasts up to four hours.

* Winged Fiber™ Facial Mask, Allasso Industries. Cosmetic facial mask made using a nylon Winged Fiber™ spunbond is loaded with essential moisturizing and rejuvenating oils and creams.

* VitaFlex Soft-Stretch Hood™, VitaFlex LLC. Utilizes a latex-free elastic nonwoven fabric to provide greener and less expensive primary head protection.

Source: INDA

INDA Vision Orlando - Day 3

...and the winner of the 2013 Visionary Award is:

David Rousse, President of INDA presents the 2013 Visionary Award to Sean Riley, Chief Executive Dude of Dude Products Inc.  Their individually wrapped wet-wipe fresheners for dudes attracted the highest number of votes from the audience.

Lee Ann Head, VP Research, Shelton Group reviews consumer understanding of Sustainability and ways of selling sustainable products in future.

Kelheim develops water repellent viscose fibre

The Bavarian viscose fibre specialist Kelheim Fibres has developed the first viscose fibre with intrinsic water repellent properties; the fibre has been named Olea. In contrast to other methods of creating hydrophobic properties, Kelheim has been able to maintain the typical properties of the viscose fibre by incorporating the hydrophobicity in the fibre matrix itself. Thanks to incorporation of the additive during the spinning process, the hydrophobic effect is durable and cannot be washed out. The additive used for the production of Olea fibre is made of renewable materials, like the fibre itself, and so Olea is a fully biodegradable fibre. While viscose fibres are usually known for their excellent liquid absorption capacity, there are also numerous applications which can benefit from Kelheim’s hydrophobic Olea fibre. “Olea is an environmentally friendly alternative for the cover- and back-sheets of hygiene products - for example nappies, sanitary towels or incontinence pads: In order to protect the wearer’s skin, these sheets need to remain dry while they facilitate the transport of liquid away from the skin”, explains Dr. Philipp Wimmer from Kelheim’s R&D team.