EDANA, the Brussels, Belgium-based trade association representing nonwovens and related industries, is urging policymakers to exclude fluff pulp (CN code 47032100) from any countermeasure issued in response to recently imposed U.S. tariffs. The association feels that protecting access to essential products, like U.S.-sourced fluff pulp, supporting European manufacturers and avoiding unnecessary hardship for vulnerable consumers must remain a shared priority.
Approximately 90%1 of the world's total fluff pulp supply is used in absorbent hygiene products like baby diapers, fem care items and adult incontinence items, and materials sourced from the U.S. Representing 80% of the world's fluff pulp production, the U.S.'s contribution to the market cannot be easily replaced by other world regions. Imposing duties on this material would significantly increase manufacturing costs, compounding already high inflationary pressures. The result: higher prices on essential hygiene items for those families who can least afford them.
The ripple effects would extend beyond consumers. European manufacturers would be placed at a disadvantage, facing rising input costs while competitors outside the EU continue exporting finished hygiene products into Europe without the same burden. This threatens not only industry jobs but also the long-term resilience of our production ecosystem, EDANA adds.
