During one of Tuesday's conference sessions, Francisco Tascón, product marketing manager, South America, for Berry Global, discussed the disposable hygiene markets of South America.

The Latin American hygiene market is in fourth place in value (USD), but holds the third place in volume (units).

One of the areas Tascón focused on was the baby care category. Worldwide, birth rates are decreasing, and, although Latin America is a region with some instability and volatility, that sometimes makes opportunities, he says.

In Brazil, which Tascón calls the main country in Latin America, birth rates declined 5% from 2015 to 2016. This was due to the Zika virus that impacted the region that year. It was not safe to get pregnant during this period of time because babies could get infected with microsephaly. In 2017, opportunies looked better, with births growing 3% compared to 2016. If this trend of recovery continues, or if the birth rates the country experienced in 2015 are recovered, that will be an important opportunity for Brazil and the region, he said.

Femcare has two opportunities to grow, according to Tascón. First is increased penetration in panty liners for daily protection. Countries like Colombia have a very high penetration in daily protection, while Argentina, since two years ago, is following this opportunity. "Right now, in countries like Brazil, we are starting to see that trend," he said.

The other opportunity for femcare, he adds, is to simplify the portfolio. "There are a lot of products on the market available for menstrual protection. The space that they are using on the shelf is definitely an opportunity to simplify. We need that space for adult incontinence. That is a category that is really growing. We need that space for innovation."