Hygiene Components Suppliers Look to Do More with Less

As they deal with supply chain disruptions and raw material price hikes, makers of films, adhesives, tapes and more work to offer more sustainable products

“In recent past, we have seen the development of several new hygienic brands,” says Carmine Cimini, Chief Technology Officer, Texol. “Most of them are positioning their brand under a sustainable profile and they leverage on the digital marketing as main way of communication. The approach to manufacture their product is through contract manufacturing and defining very clear quality standards in terms of product/material safety. They leverage their brand positioning on clear communication with the customer, requiring formal certification released by authoritative organizations and they focus to attract target consumer focusing on ‘natural’ ‘green’ products.”

Lightening Up

As diaper manufacturers and their suppliers are looking to do more with less and reduce the overall weights of their diapers, lowering base weights has been a top priority.
At films supplier Texol, the company delivers a perforated topsheet at lower basis weight as well as one solution with a new perforation pattern to make the change more visible for consumers. Achieving this while also creating a softer to skin product has created more challenges when it comes to converting.
“Lower basis weights with higher softness create an engineering contradiction that in Texol we have been able to solve either via the development of specific formulation as well as via the implementation of our converting capabilities,” Cimini says. “More recently we have started the work with PIR polymers to address the need to develop more sustainable formulation.”

The trend in the hygienic segment for the use of laminate composites has created the need to deliver superior technologies at affordable prices. Texol has seen the use of laminates for topsheet applications as well as for backsheet application. While the need to use high performing material for topsheets is obvious, it is relevant to highlight that even nonwoven technologies such as air through bonded have been applied for backsheet lamination. Another application is the elastic fastening system for baby diapers where you can have different solution of combination film/nonwoven pending the tear application.

This trend has favored the partnership between film and nonwoven suppliers with the objective to deliver an affordable solution. Nevertheless the higher advantage is coming from organizations having the opportunity for internal sourcing because of the availability of internal film as well as nonwoven capabilities. Texol is able to provide both spunlace and air through bonded nonwovens to its partners in the hygiene market, which allows it to offer a broader offering to its customers.