Tara Olivo, associate editor12.03.14
With the general population becoming more amenable to the use of adult incontinence products such as adult diapers and light incontinence pads, suppliers are ramping up their product mix to enhance comfort and fit in this highly competitive market. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the nation’s 65-and-older population will reach 83.7 million in 2050, nearly double the 2012 level of 43.1 million. The baby boomer generation, those born in the U.S. from 1946 to 1964, is estimated to make up 21% of the U.S. population in 2050.
As companies look to cater to the needs of an older population, they’re also keeping environmental awareness in mind and looking for ways to be more sustainable in their operations, whether by creating thinner products, reducing overall waste or becoming more efficient.
Getting comfortable with adult incontinence
With major player Procter & Gamble announcing its entry into the adult inco market in North America in 2014, it’s clear to suppliers that this is an important and rapidly growing segment in hygiene.
For 30 years, H.B. Fuller has created adhesives for the global nonwovens hygienic market, which has culminated in the development of the Full-Care brand of premium hot melt adhesives. Kirstin Hedin, global marketing manager, Nonwovens/Hygiene, H.B. Fuller, says, “Adult incontinence is the fastest growing segment within the global hygiene market. Not only is the aging population growing at high rates on a global scale, but so is the demographics’ willingness to use adult incontinence products. There is heightened awareness and social acceptance for a variety of health issues, which is changing the landscape of the hygiene industry.”
Examples of this are the introduction of the Butterfly Health product for fecal incontinence and the growth in lighter incontinence products, to tackle light bladder leakage or to appeal to women who currently use feminine hygiene products for their incontinence problems, she adds.
“Improved absorption, thinner cores, greater fit, comfort and most importantly discreetness, are essential attributes in the development of adhesives and their role in the transformation of hygiene products cannot be underestimated.”
It’s in developed markets that adult incontinence is outpacing growth in more established segments like baby diapers and feminine hygiene. Bostik, which offers adhesive solutions for baby, adult, and feminine care disposable hygiene products, sees the significance of this area. “Adult incontinence is the key to growth in mature regions,” says Courtney Korselt, global communications and insight manager of Bostik’s Global Nonwovens Business Unit. “This has equated to increased focus on generating demand and increasing penetration in areas such as the U.S. and Japan. This is changing the visibility of the industry and offering growth potential.”
Fastener producer Avery Dennison Performance Tapes provides premium and value closure concepts for baby and adult diapers, as well as disposable tapes for baby diaper training pants and adult pants. Birgitta Van den Driessche, director of marketing and R&D, personal care AP, says, “Adult incontinence remains a key growing area that attracts investment. For some manufacturers, this is an excellent opportunity to diversify or expand.”
“The mix of an aging population in industrial countries and the fact that the perception of incontinence products is changing in a positive way leads to an increasing incontinence market where the concern on improving the quality of life is becoming more important,” says Barbara Bulleri, sales & marketing director, Texsus SpA, a company in the film segment. Texsus creates nonwoven solutions that enable customers to produce modern baby diapers, ultra-thin sanitary napkins and adult incontinence products, with excellent absorption and retention performance.
Tredegar, an innovator of soft film and film nonwoven laminate topsheets, low basis weight acquisition/distribution layers and a range of elastic films and laminates, sees more interest in the adult inco market in all geographies. “As discretionary disposable income continues to rise in nations around the world and lifespans rise, there is an increased demand for absorbent products that are effective, comfortable and discreet,” says Matt O’Sickey, director of R&D – consumer care. “This is especially true as individuals are able to maintain an active, autonomous lifestyle longer. Recognizing this, Tredegar is investing in providing unique solutions with localized sourcing for the adult incontinence market, for both fit and fluid handling.”
O’Sickey explains that because products in the adults segment are larger, companies have to pay attention to the cost as it surpasses that of the baby care and feminine hygiene segments. Also, the fact that adult users, unlike infants, are able to articulate feedback in terms of an absorbent product’s comfort, fit and function, drives product design innovation. He adds, “The long term viability of hygiene article and raw material manufacturers will depend upon their ability to participate within the growing adult incontinence segment. Producers that have long been strong in the feminine hygiene segment are expanding into light incontinence and producers otherwise absent from the adult incontinence markets are now investing to enter this space.”
Within the hygiene industry, Turkish company Korozo offers polyethylene and textile backsheets, in both breathable and non-breathable varieties, nonwoven and polypropylene closure tapes with and without hooks, “S” and “M” type textile frontal tapes, polyethylene bags for diapers and wet wipes packaging. “Demand for tapes and backsheets for adult diapers are increasing in different markets,” says Tuba Boduroglu Karakus, sales executive for hygiene components, Korozo. “What we see from hygiene products markets is that, the producers who previously don’t have adult diaper lines started to invest or at least started looking for opportunities to buy lines from different markets.”
Technologies in hygiene components
Earlier this year, Conwed expanded its line of Rebound elastomeric netting—Flat Rebound. Used in adult incontinence underwear and briefs, Flat Rebound’s flat surface acts as the stretch engine, allowing the creation of stretchable and smooth composites for superior comfort and feel.
According to Ivan Soltero, Conwed’s strategic marketing manager – Industrial, the launch of Flat Rebound addresses the demand for having lightweight and breathable composites with no joints to mimic a smooth apparel-type texture. He sites that the majority of hygiene manufacturers prefer receiving a stretchable composite already made versus incorporating the elastomeric netting themselves, therefore the company developed a new stretch laminate for the hygiene industry. “Conwed can customize the hysteresis curves on the new stretch laminate powered by Flat Rebound, but it also offers exceptional moisture management and heat transfer performance,” says Soltero. “The web configuration of the net offers a unique level of breathability and air permeability that directly affects end users’ level of comfort.”
While Conwed has been making gradual modifications of its elastomeric netting portfolio over the last decade, in recent years, the company says it’s been focusing on developing new configurations. “With the evolution and dominance of spandex and films, manufacturers not only demand optimal product performance and cost competitiveness but also look for features that could impact end users’ skin protection and comfort,” Soltero says. “We significantly decreased the weight of our netting and created a flat configuration with enhanced breathability features to satisfy the demand of active adults requesting comfortable and discreet disposable products.”
The company is emphasizing the importance of comfort, and Soltero says that it has shifted its focus from matching performance or cost to creating the right bundle of performance-cost-comfort for various market categories. “The adult incontinence market is driving innovation and making companies like ours push the limits of our technology,” says Soltero. “It is a growing market, but most importantly, it is a growing market that can provide precise feedback and appreciate not only performance but overall comfort. It is enticing companies to continue improving product performance but also the overall feel and satisfaction of the end user.”
Germany-based RKW Group produces both film and polypropylene-based nonwovens for hygiene items, with two nonwoven facilities and eight film facilities located across the globe. The company’s nonwovens, used as components for waistbands, side panels and tapes, include carded, spunbond and HyJet—a hydroentangled spunbond. RKW touts its embossed films as extremely lightweight for the landing zone.
In the adult incontinence segment, RKW is noticing a shift toward value-add backsheets in Europe. Patricia Featherstone, director marketing & communications, division hygiene & industrial, RKW ACE SA, says they’re seeing “less plain film, more breathable film and more textile backsheets.” She adds that printing is moving from the traditional simple one color ‘information’ printing to several colors with brand recognition. “This we are seeing not only for retail, but also for homecare and institutional products.”
Korozo recently introduced downgauge textile backsheets, S-cut tapes and downgauge folded PE films for underpads. Two years ago, Korozo invested in a new personal care components production facility, and it’s been fully active since July. The new location in Çerkezköy, Turkey, increased the company’s capacities, and Korozo has added a new cast extrusion line in addition to its blown extrusion lines.
In the personal care market, H.B. Fuller has extended its next generation high-cohesive olefin technology platform with the launch of the Full-Care 5600 series, as an alternative to traditional rubber-based solutions. Company executives say this series maintains quality and integrity in hygiene construction applications through its high peel strength and bonding at low coat weight. Its improved thermal stability has added to the product’s clean-running characteristics, which means less charring and nozzle blockage so manufacturers can optimize production efficiency and reduce ongoing maintenance costs.
Adhesive maker Bostik says it’s continuously reviewing its offerings and introducing products to help its customers achieve their goals of creating an “absorbent product that looks and feels like underwear and is cost effective,” says Korselt. The company’s recent offerings include an adhesive that enables the use of the latest apertured top sheets and a suite of core adhesive solutions that allow customers to achieve their product design goals.
Savaré Specialty Adhesives, a Milan, Italy-based company, supplies polyolefin and rubber-based construction, core, positioning, elastic attachment and stretch adhesives, as well as other specialties such as tab attachment and temporary fixation items. The company says that higher and higher line speeds, new designs and substrates are continuously challenging them. Savaré recently installed a state-of-the-art test-stand with the latest application equipment technologies and speeds of up to 800 meters per minute to mimic the most challenging customer applications. “We are very excited about this addition to our global R&D Center in Milan,” says Mattia Revelli, industry manager, Savaré Specialty Adhesives.
Relating to technology, Texsus’ Bulleri says the company focuses on research & development, constant product innovation and flexibility to meet customer demand in hygiene. “A constant and direct cooperation between the customers and Texsus’ R&D allows the development of new materials. With our internal laboratory and pilot line, we ensure that new products are developed with a modern approach. Designs are finalized to achieve the correct material structure, guaranteed to perform in the best way possible together with the other components of the final product.”
Texsus’ latest product is the Vortex, an innovative high loft ADL material with liquid holding properties suitable for fluffless and thin baby diaper structures. “Vortex is able to enhance the liquid distribution and to control the liquid transfer to the core, assuring maximum usage of the diaper and a perfect surface dryness,” adds Bulleri. She also indicated that Texsus is developing Evetex, a foam specially designed for sanitary napkins and a soft nonwoven frontal tape for baby diapers. Texsus will also be developing some specific ADL materials dedicated to the incontinence market.
Also offering innovation in the hygiene market is Tredegar. The company recently introduced new breathable elastic films and laminates, produced using its core aperturing technology. These materials are designed to provide superior garment-like fit and comfort for wearers. During this year’s 2014 Insight Conference, Tredegar debuted a new hybrid acquisition/distribution layer that will provide the benefits of films and nonwovens within one product. O’Sickey says, “This new acquisition/distribution solution facilitates thin core product design with superb dryness and comfort without addition of costly high loft nonwoven layers.”
Sustainability is trending
In regard to hygiene products, the focus tends to be on the disposable aspect of the products and how they affect the environment, but hygiene companies see sustainability as a growing trend within the industry.
Creating thinner products that don’t compromise quality is just one way companies are contributing to environmental sustainability. According to EDANA’s 2011 Sustainability Report, hygiene products have shown a huge reduction in average weight. Over the past quarter century, the report states that the average baby diaper’s weight has reduced from 65 grams (2.3 oz.) in 1985 to 36 grams (1.3 oz.) in 2009. The report adds that other ways companies are being more environmentally-conscious are increasing efficiency with the use of natural recourses and the use of alternative raw materials, recycling, or compostable materials.
H.B Fuller’s Hedin says, “As essential components in diapers and other hygienic disposables, the need for adhesives based on renewable feedstocks could become a pressing issue in the coming years as major brand owners attempt to meet ambitious sustainability commitments. We have seen activity, particularly in North America, of more sustainable, or natural-based baby diaper products, now appearing on the shelves.”
Hedin adds that they see an interesting trend in the market where the “sustainability” selling point in hygiene products has morphed into a “healthier” product selling point. “In the baby diaper segment, you now see many brands and private labels calling out the use of natural fibers (cotton in particular) in their product as a healthier substrate to be close to your baby’s skin. In the future, this trend may expand into the feminine care and adult incontinence segments.”
H.B. Fuller says in the industry, the key driver for sustainability is driven by product innovation designed to answer the call for less waste and thinner cores. “With more raw materials to choose from than ever before, more processing variables, more application techniques, and greater collaboration between manufacturers and suppliers, adhesives are at the very core of hygiene and diaper innovation,” says Hedin. Because of this, the company has entered into a $75,000 research project with the United Soybean Board in a bid to employ soybean oil in the production of hot melt adhesives.
In terms of sustainability, Savaré packages its adhesives using Safemelt, its environmentally-friendly worldwide patented technology, leading to no water and energy waste. Additionally, the company suggests that it’s achieving great success optimizing each adhesive application to use as low add on as possible. “We combine our new adhesives with second to none yield with the latest application equipment, new patterns and thinner substrates to minimize the raw materials consumption and waste,” says Revelli.
For its role, Avery Dennison Performance Tapes says sustainability is part of its everyday process. “As a supplier of closures we strive to reduce environmental impact and to deal carefully with energy, raw materials and water,” says Van den Driessche.
Bulleri of Texsus says in terms of green and biodegradable products, there’s still a lot of work to do to achieve reasonable costs and performances if compared with regular products. “At the present time, even if biodegradable fibers are an option, final customers don’t perceive an added value that compensates a higher cost,” says Bulleri. Therefore, she says the company is focusing on achieving sustainability in different ways such as improving the waste recycling process, reducing air pollution, using renewable energy and improving process efficiency.
RKW’s Featherstone adds that sustainability is, “Extremely important as ‘green is normal’ now in our industry. Brands and consumers alike need to know that products are playing their part in ‘saving the planet.’”
The competitive marketplace
When characterizing the hygiene market as a whole, H.B. Fuller describes it as a highly competitive market dominated by a handful of key players. “Adhesive suppliers need to know what matters to customers,” says Hedin.
She says an issue that continually dominates is supply assurance as the hygiene industry has been subject to shortages in the supply chain recently. “Working with a supplier, with a proven history in a reactive and responsive way, creates lasting, rewarding connections,” says Hedin.
Hedin adds that the Full-Care brand offers more than high-performance adhesives. “We provide supply care,” she says. “A full technology portfolio for unmatched supply flexibility and supply assurance. Our proven history in formulating with a broad technology base means we can quickly source proven alternatives to provide customers’ with a supply solution and avoid any downtime.”
Bostik’s Korselt describes the hygiene market as an exciting one, full of tremendous opportunity for those who understand the market and its needs. “In order to be a resource to the market, you must be and act global,” she explains. “The market is divided by mature and emerging geographies. In mature regions, there is increased competition between producers to maintain and grow share in a limited growth environment.”
In emerging regions, this translates to rapid innovation and increasing competition from local raw material suppliers who are hungry to join an aggressively growing market.
From Conwed’s perspective, performance and cost are essential since the hygiene industry could be viewed as disposable consumer products. “Suppliers feel this pressure to be competitive as the volume of the opportunities compensate for the low margins,” says Soltero.
As most focus on creating the highest performance product at the most affordable cost, Soltero says comfort for the end user is becoming more significant. “When a growing market such as adult incontinence is in expansion, another element gains more visibility: end users’ comfort. It is a market segment that can choose a product not only based on whether it absorbs or if it is affordable, but also if it feels good to wear.”
Soltero adds that now, component manufacturers are not only attempting to make the highest performance, most cost-efficient products, but also products that affect the end users’ level of comfort. “We just saw a leading CPG company come back to the adult incontinence industry after years of focusing on babies and infants (P&G) and continue to see private label manufacturers creating disposable products with end users’ in mind. The right balance between performance, cost and comfort gives opportunities to alternative materials such as our elastomeric netting to thrive.”
Texsus adds that quality of product and service, and assistance for product innovation, must be linked to a reasonable price.
“The disposable hygiene market is an extremely challenging market with a big competition between baby diapers and femcare producers to gain more market share,” says Bulleri. “In the last year in Europe the trend is evident for private label producers to move from being trend followers to trend makers. I believe this is a positive aspect, and raw material suppliers need to support this change.”
With pricing being relatively stable for the last couple of years, Tredegar explains that while consumers are demanding thinner, higher SAP content products with improved comfort and breathability, they expect these enhanced features without total delivered product price increase. O’Sickey says, “This has perhaps created some barrier to entry for new players and may be one of the driving forces behind some of the consolidation of raw material suppliers seen recently. It is Tredegar’s belief that each product we offer must be designed with consideration as to how it will drive the value of the entire finished article.”
As companies look to cater to the needs of an older population, they’re also keeping environmental awareness in mind and looking for ways to be more sustainable in their operations, whether by creating thinner products, reducing overall waste or becoming more efficient.
Getting comfortable with adult incontinence
With major player Procter & Gamble announcing its entry into the adult inco market in North America in 2014, it’s clear to suppliers that this is an important and rapidly growing segment in hygiene.
For 30 years, H.B. Fuller has created adhesives for the global nonwovens hygienic market, which has culminated in the development of the Full-Care brand of premium hot melt adhesives. Kirstin Hedin, global marketing manager, Nonwovens/Hygiene, H.B. Fuller, says, “Adult incontinence is the fastest growing segment within the global hygiene market. Not only is the aging population growing at high rates on a global scale, but so is the demographics’ willingness to use adult incontinence products. There is heightened awareness and social acceptance for a variety of health issues, which is changing the landscape of the hygiene industry.”
Examples of this are the introduction of the Butterfly Health product for fecal incontinence and the growth in lighter incontinence products, to tackle light bladder leakage or to appeal to women who currently use feminine hygiene products for their incontinence problems, she adds.
“Improved absorption, thinner cores, greater fit, comfort and most importantly discreetness, are essential attributes in the development of adhesives and their role in the transformation of hygiene products cannot be underestimated.”
It’s in developed markets that adult incontinence is outpacing growth in more established segments like baby diapers and feminine hygiene. Bostik, which offers adhesive solutions for baby, adult, and feminine care disposable hygiene products, sees the significance of this area. “Adult incontinence is the key to growth in mature regions,” says Courtney Korselt, global communications and insight manager of Bostik’s Global Nonwovens Business Unit. “This has equated to increased focus on generating demand and increasing penetration in areas such as the U.S. and Japan. This is changing the visibility of the industry and offering growth potential.”
Fastener producer Avery Dennison Performance Tapes provides premium and value closure concepts for baby and adult diapers, as well as disposable tapes for baby diaper training pants and adult pants. Birgitta Van den Driessche, director of marketing and R&D, personal care AP, says, “Adult incontinence remains a key growing area that attracts investment. For some manufacturers, this is an excellent opportunity to diversify or expand.”
“The mix of an aging population in industrial countries and the fact that the perception of incontinence products is changing in a positive way leads to an increasing incontinence market where the concern on improving the quality of life is becoming more important,” says Barbara Bulleri, sales & marketing director, Texsus SpA, a company in the film segment. Texsus creates nonwoven solutions that enable customers to produce modern baby diapers, ultra-thin sanitary napkins and adult incontinence products, with excellent absorption and retention performance.
Tredegar, an innovator of soft film and film nonwoven laminate topsheets, low basis weight acquisition/distribution layers and a range of elastic films and laminates, sees more interest in the adult inco market in all geographies. “As discretionary disposable income continues to rise in nations around the world and lifespans rise, there is an increased demand for absorbent products that are effective, comfortable and discreet,” says Matt O’Sickey, director of R&D – consumer care. “This is especially true as individuals are able to maintain an active, autonomous lifestyle longer. Recognizing this, Tredegar is investing in providing unique solutions with localized sourcing for the adult incontinence market, for both fit and fluid handling.”
O’Sickey explains that because products in the adults segment are larger, companies have to pay attention to the cost as it surpasses that of the baby care and feminine hygiene segments. Also, the fact that adult users, unlike infants, are able to articulate feedback in terms of an absorbent product’s comfort, fit and function, drives product design innovation. He adds, “The long term viability of hygiene article and raw material manufacturers will depend upon their ability to participate within the growing adult incontinence segment. Producers that have long been strong in the feminine hygiene segment are expanding into light incontinence and producers otherwise absent from the adult incontinence markets are now investing to enter this space.”
Within the hygiene industry, Turkish company Korozo offers polyethylene and textile backsheets, in both breathable and non-breathable varieties, nonwoven and polypropylene closure tapes with and without hooks, “S” and “M” type textile frontal tapes, polyethylene bags for diapers and wet wipes packaging. “Demand for tapes and backsheets for adult diapers are increasing in different markets,” says Tuba Boduroglu Karakus, sales executive for hygiene components, Korozo. “What we see from hygiene products markets is that, the producers who previously don’t have adult diaper lines started to invest or at least started looking for opportunities to buy lines from different markets.”
Technologies in hygiene components
Earlier this year, Conwed expanded its line of Rebound elastomeric netting—Flat Rebound. Used in adult incontinence underwear and briefs, Flat Rebound’s flat surface acts as the stretch engine, allowing the creation of stretchable and smooth composites for superior comfort and feel.
According to Ivan Soltero, Conwed’s strategic marketing manager – Industrial, the launch of Flat Rebound addresses the demand for having lightweight and breathable composites with no joints to mimic a smooth apparel-type texture. He sites that the majority of hygiene manufacturers prefer receiving a stretchable composite already made versus incorporating the elastomeric netting themselves, therefore the company developed a new stretch laminate for the hygiene industry. “Conwed can customize the hysteresis curves on the new stretch laminate powered by Flat Rebound, but it also offers exceptional moisture management and heat transfer performance,” says Soltero. “The web configuration of the net offers a unique level of breathability and air permeability that directly affects end users’ level of comfort.”
While Conwed has been making gradual modifications of its elastomeric netting portfolio over the last decade, in recent years, the company says it’s been focusing on developing new configurations. “With the evolution and dominance of spandex and films, manufacturers not only demand optimal product performance and cost competitiveness but also look for features that could impact end users’ skin protection and comfort,” Soltero says. “We significantly decreased the weight of our netting and created a flat configuration with enhanced breathability features to satisfy the demand of active adults requesting comfortable and discreet disposable products.”
The company is emphasizing the importance of comfort, and Soltero says that it has shifted its focus from matching performance or cost to creating the right bundle of performance-cost-comfort for various market categories. “The adult incontinence market is driving innovation and making companies like ours push the limits of our technology,” says Soltero. “It is a growing market, but most importantly, it is a growing market that can provide precise feedback and appreciate not only performance but overall comfort. It is enticing companies to continue improving product performance but also the overall feel and satisfaction of the end user.”
Germany-based RKW Group produces both film and polypropylene-based nonwovens for hygiene items, with two nonwoven facilities and eight film facilities located across the globe. The company’s nonwovens, used as components for waistbands, side panels and tapes, include carded, spunbond and HyJet—a hydroentangled spunbond. RKW touts its embossed films as extremely lightweight for the landing zone.
In the adult incontinence segment, RKW is noticing a shift toward value-add backsheets in Europe. Patricia Featherstone, director marketing & communications, division hygiene & industrial, RKW ACE SA, says they’re seeing “less plain film, more breathable film and more textile backsheets.” She adds that printing is moving from the traditional simple one color ‘information’ printing to several colors with brand recognition. “This we are seeing not only for retail, but also for homecare and institutional products.”
Korozo recently introduced downgauge textile backsheets, S-cut tapes and downgauge folded PE films for underpads. Two years ago, Korozo invested in a new personal care components production facility, and it’s been fully active since July. The new location in Çerkezköy, Turkey, increased the company’s capacities, and Korozo has added a new cast extrusion line in addition to its blown extrusion lines.
In the personal care market, H.B. Fuller has extended its next generation high-cohesive olefin technology platform with the launch of the Full-Care 5600 series, as an alternative to traditional rubber-based solutions. Company executives say this series maintains quality and integrity in hygiene construction applications through its high peel strength and bonding at low coat weight. Its improved thermal stability has added to the product’s clean-running characteristics, which means less charring and nozzle blockage so manufacturers can optimize production efficiency and reduce ongoing maintenance costs.
Adhesive maker Bostik says it’s continuously reviewing its offerings and introducing products to help its customers achieve their goals of creating an “absorbent product that looks and feels like underwear and is cost effective,” says Korselt. The company’s recent offerings include an adhesive that enables the use of the latest apertured top sheets and a suite of core adhesive solutions that allow customers to achieve their product design goals.
Savaré Specialty Adhesives, a Milan, Italy-based company, supplies polyolefin and rubber-based construction, core, positioning, elastic attachment and stretch adhesives, as well as other specialties such as tab attachment and temporary fixation items. The company says that higher and higher line speeds, new designs and substrates are continuously challenging them. Savaré recently installed a state-of-the-art test-stand with the latest application equipment technologies and speeds of up to 800 meters per minute to mimic the most challenging customer applications. “We are very excited about this addition to our global R&D Center in Milan,” says Mattia Revelli, industry manager, Savaré Specialty Adhesives.
Relating to technology, Texsus’ Bulleri says the company focuses on research & development, constant product innovation and flexibility to meet customer demand in hygiene. “A constant and direct cooperation between the customers and Texsus’ R&D allows the development of new materials. With our internal laboratory and pilot line, we ensure that new products are developed with a modern approach. Designs are finalized to achieve the correct material structure, guaranteed to perform in the best way possible together with the other components of the final product.”
Texsus’ latest product is the Vortex, an innovative high loft ADL material with liquid holding properties suitable for fluffless and thin baby diaper structures. “Vortex is able to enhance the liquid distribution and to control the liquid transfer to the core, assuring maximum usage of the diaper and a perfect surface dryness,” adds Bulleri. She also indicated that Texsus is developing Evetex, a foam specially designed for sanitary napkins and a soft nonwoven frontal tape for baby diapers. Texsus will also be developing some specific ADL materials dedicated to the incontinence market.
Also offering innovation in the hygiene market is Tredegar. The company recently introduced new breathable elastic films and laminates, produced using its core aperturing technology. These materials are designed to provide superior garment-like fit and comfort for wearers. During this year’s 2014 Insight Conference, Tredegar debuted a new hybrid acquisition/distribution layer that will provide the benefits of films and nonwovens within one product. O’Sickey says, “This new acquisition/distribution solution facilitates thin core product design with superb dryness and comfort without addition of costly high loft nonwoven layers.”
Sustainability is trending
In regard to hygiene products, the focus tends to be on the disposable aspect of the products and how they affect the environment, but hygiene companies see sustainability as a growing trend within the industry.
Creating thinner products that don’t compromise quality is just one way companies are contributing to environmental sustainability. According to EDANA’s 2011 Sustainability Report, hygiene products have shown a huge reduction in average weight. Over the past quarter century, the report states that the average baby diaper’s weight has reduced from 65 grams (2.3 oz.) in 1985 to 36 grams (1.3 oz.) in 2009. The report adds that other ways companies are being more environmentally-conscious are increasing efficiency with the use of natural recourses and the use of alternative raw materials, recycling, or compostable materials.
H.B Fuller’s Hedin says, “As essential components in diapers and other hygienic disposables, the need for adhesives based on renewable feedstocks could become a pressing issue in the coming years as major brand owners attempt to meet ambitious sustainability commitments. We have seen activity, particularly in North America, of more sustainable, or natural-based baby diaper products, now appearing on the shelves.”
Hedin adds that they see an interesting trend in the market where the “sustainability” selling point in hygiene products has morphed into a “healthier” product selling point. “In the baby diaper segment, you now see many brands and private labels calling out the use of natural fibers (cotton in particular) in their product as a healthier substrate to be close to your baby’s skin. In the future, this trend may expand into the feminine care and adult incontinence segments.”
H.B. Fuller says in the industry, the key driver for sustainability is driven by product innovation designed to answer the call for less waste and thinner cores. “With more raw materials to choose from than ever before, more processing variables, more application techniques, and greater collaboration between manufacturers and suppliers, adhesives are at the very core of hygiene and diaper innovation,” says Hedin. Because of this, the company has entered into a $75,000 research project with the United Soybean Board in a bid to employ soybean oil in the production of hot melt adhesives.
In terms of sustainability, Savaré packages its adhesives using Safemelt, its environmentally-friendly worldwide patented technology, leading to no water and energy waste. Additionally, the company suggests that it’s achieving great success optimizing each adhesive application to use as low add on as possible. “We combine our new adhesives with second to none yield with the latest application equipment, new patterns and thinner substrates to minimize the raw materials consumption and waste,” says Revelli.
For its role, Avery Dennison Performance Tapes says sustainability is part of its everyday process. “As a supplier of closures we strive to reduce environmental impact and to deal carefully with energy, raw materials and water,” says Van den Driessche.
Bulleri of Texsus says in terms of green and biodegradable products, there’s still a lot of work to do to achieve reasonable costs and performances if compared with regular products. “At the present time, even if biodegradable fibers are an option, final customers don’t perceive an added value that compensates a higher cost,” says Bulleri. Therefore, she says the company is focusing on achieving sustainability in different ways such as improving the waste recycling process, reducing air pollution, using renewable energy and improving process efficiency.
RKW’s Featherstone adds that sustainability is, “Extremely important as ‘green is normal’ now in our industry. Brands and consumers alike need to know that products are playing their part in ‘saving the planet.’”
The competitive marketplace
When characterizing the hygiene market as a whole, H.B. Fuller describes it as a highly competitive market dominated by a handful of key players. “Adhesive suppliers need to know what matters to customers,” says Hedin.
She says an issue that continually dominates is supply assurance as the hygiene industry has been subject to shortages in the supply chain recently. “Working with a supplier, with a proven history in a reactive and responsive way, creates lasting, rewarding connections,” says Hedin.
Hedin adds that the Full-Care brand offers more than high-performance adhesives. “We provide supply care,” she says. “A full technology portfolio for unmatched supply flexibility and supply assurance. Our proven history in formulating with a broad technology base means we can quickly source proven alternatives to provide customers’ with a supply solution and avoid any downtime.”
Bostik’s Korselt describes the hygiene market as an exciting one, full of tremendous opportunity for those who understand the market and its needs. “In order to be a resource to the market, you must be and act global,” she explains. “The market is divided by mature and emerging geographies. In mature regions, there is increased competition between producers to maintain and grow share in a limited growth environment.”
In emerging regions, this translates to rapid innovation and increasing competition from local raw material suppliers who are hungry to join an aggressively growing market.
From Conwed’s perspective, performance and cost are essential since the hygiene industry could be viewed as disposable consumer products. “Suppliers feel this pressure to be competitive as the volume of the opportunities compensate for the low margins,” says Soltero.
As most focus on creating the highest performance product at the most affordable cost, Soltero says comfort for the end user is becoming more significant. “When a growing market such as adult incontinence is in expansion, another element gains more visibility: end users’ comfort. It is a market segment that can choose a product not only based on whether it absorbs or if it is affordable, but also if it feels good to wear.”
Soltero adds that now, component manufacturers are not only attempting to make the highest performance, most cost-efficient products, but also products that affect the end users’ level of comfort. “We just saw a leading CPG company come back to the adult incontinence industry after years of focusing on babies and infants (P&G) and continue to see private label manufacturers creating disposable products with end users’ in mind. The right balance between performance, cost and comfort gives opportunities to alternative materials such as our elastomeric netting to thrive.”
Texsus adds that quality of product and service, and assistance for product innovation, must be linked to a reasonable price.
“The disposable hygiene market is an extremely challenging market with a big competition between baby diapers and femcare producers to gain more market share,” says Bulleri. “In the last year in Europe the trend is evident for private label producers to move from being trend followers to trend makers. I believe this is a positive aspect, and raw material suppliers need to support this change.”
With pricing being relatively stable for the last couple of years, Tredegar explains that while consumers are demanding thinner, higher SAP content products with improved comfort and breathability, they expect these enhanced features without total delivered product price increase. O’Sickey says, “This has perhaps created some barrier to entry for new players and may be one of the driving forces behind some of the consolidation of raw material suppliers seen recently. It is Tredegar’s belief that each product we offer must be designed with consideration as to how it will drive the value of the entire finished article.”