The unprecedented demand for disinfecting products in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic made it an extraordinary year for household wipes. Shoppers pantry-loaded the products in the early months of the pandemic, making it difficult to find any on store shelves or online. Retailers also limited the number of wipes consumers could purchase down to one or two per visit. This high demand prompted wipes manufacturers to adjust their operations, from starting up 24/7 production and focusing on fewer product formats to making major investments in new production lines.

According to the American Cleaning Institute (ACI), the second quarter of 2021 saw a much greater availability of cleaning and disinfecting wipes at local supermarkets and retailers, certainly as compared to much of 2020.

“While we’re not sure we’ll see the unprecedented demand for wipes like we did at the height of the pandemic anytime soon, we believe that consumers more than ever understand the value and convenience of these products in everyday life,” says Brian Sansoni, senior vice president, Communications, Outreach & Membership, ACI. “People do not need to ‘panic buy’ cleaning and disinfecting wipes, but there will likely be sustained interest in the category as consumers want to care for their families and homes with products that are safe and effective when used as directed.”

Rockline Industries, one of the major producers of wet wipes in North America, saw 2020 as a year of discovery in a lot of areas for consumers, such as a heightened focus on wellness, the importance of sanitary personal environments, the adoption of omnichannel shopping behaviors and a new focus on the home as the center of family life. “Additionally, many consumers were introduced to the convenience and efficacy of household wipes in helping them to fulfill their desires for creating sanitary living environments and I believe that they are thankful for the peace of mind these products provide,” says Christopher Dresselhuys, business director North American Retail Products for Rockline.

According to a forthcoming study from Smithers—The Impact of Supply Chain Disruptions on Nonwovens Manufacturing—the total global demand for nonwoven wipes is projected to reached $19.64 billion in 2020, and future demand will see this rise to $26.07 billion in 2025. Home care wipes (cleaning/disinfectant, floor cleaning, electrostatic, furniture/glass, automotive, mops, other) accounted for 33.8% of this market by value in 2020.

Phil Mango, a consultant specializing in nonwovens at Smithers and the author of the report, says that demand continues to outpace supply. “In 2020, both consumers and industrial/institutional users increased their rate of disinfecting wipe usage, but lots of industrial/institutional users were shut down or at reduced operating rates,” he says. “In 2021, these industrial/institutional users are re-opening (schools, restaurants, commercial buildings, janitorial services) and the usage rate of disinfecting wipes has not yet slowed, so demand will remain high at least through 2021 and most likely into 2022. Supply will most likely catch up in mid-2022.”

As new converting lines come onstream, increasing wipes capacity, he expects demand growth rates to slow, and supply and demand to re-balance.

“The consensus is that consumers and industrial/institutional users cleaning habits have been permanently altered; it is just the degree of this alteration that is in question,” Mango explains. “Globally, it appears that at least a 10% increase in disinfecting wipes will continue through at least 2026—by this I mean that the volume of disinfecting wipes in 2026 will be at least 10% higher than what would have been consumed without the pandemic. In the U.S., this increase will be larger, while Asia will be lower.”

Clorox, a leader in disinfecting products, continues to see strong behavior changes from consumers when it comes to disinfecting practices. While the company expected cleaning behaviors to change as people get vaccinated, Clorox CEO Linda Rendle noted during the company’s latest earnings call that compared to pre-pandemic levels, cleaning behaviors are still significantly elevated, and they continue to expect them to be into the future. “We’re hearing that from consumers, we’re seeing that in their buying habits,” she said.

Lisah Burhan, vice president of Investor Relations for The Clorox Company, added that demand for the company’s consumer-preferred disinfectants, like wipes and sprays, remain elevated, though consumption continues to be limited by supply shortages. As the company continues to increase its supply of wipes and sprays, product availability and assortment will improve. In fact, Clorox will be bringing back some of the innovations it had to pause during the pandemic, including Clorox compostable wipes and Clorox Scentiva disinfecting sprays and wipes, which Rendle said was a large growth platform for the company prior to the pandemic.

In order to increase supply, Clorox announced earlier this year it would add a new wipes line in the Atlanta, GA, area. This investment combined with increased contract manufacturing relationships and an improved supply chain should double the company’s wipes capacity to the level it was prior to the pandemic.

Ramp Up Continues
Like Clorox, some of the largest producers of wet wipes in North America also announced new line investments.

In August, Rockline said it would install a new state-of-the-art $20 million disinfecting wipe production line that will nearly double the company’s production capacity. The new production line, known as the XC-105 Galaxy, when completed will be one of the largest production lines for disinfecting wipes in the private brands wet wipes industry.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has created a new level of awareness among the American people about the importance of proper surface disinfection,” says Randy Rudolph, president of Rockline Industries. “We are making a huge investment in the future by installing the Galaxy line to ensure that our customers will be able to meet consumers’ increasing demand for disinfecting wipes.”

The Galaxy line is being custom designed by Rockline’s Global Engineering Group and built in partnership with several of the world’s leading converting equipment manufacturers and is expected to be fully operational at Rockline’s Sheboygan, WI, plant in mid-2021. The size of the line will require the company to relocate a number of existing production lines within the facility to accommodate the Galaxy. Rockline anticipates that it will increase its workforce as the line becomes operational and production volume increases, though exact job numbers are not immediately available.

Rockline is also spending more than $18 million this year on the installation of additional production lines at its three Arkansas-based wet wipes manufacturing facilities.

The new equipment will include high capacity wet wipe production lines in Rockline’s 370,000-square-foot facility in Springdale, its 240,000-square-foot facility in Russellville and its 1.2 million-square-foot facility in Booneville.

Meanwhile, Nice-Pak announced dual investments to increase the output of disinfectant wipes. Construction on a new 1.2 million-square-foot facility in Mooresville, IN, which will house manufacturing and a distribution center at a single location, is now underway. The complex, a $165 million investment, will be five miles from Nice-Pak’s existing 147,000-square-foot facility and has a target occupation date of May 2022.. The current facility will remain open as part of Nice-Pak’s overall manufacturing footprint.

“Our new investment in Mooresville is an important milestone in our mission of helping the world stay healthy and well,” says Robert Julius, chairman and CEO of Nice-Pak. “We could not think of a better partner than the Mooresville community in our ongoing efforts to meet the increasing demand for wipes—essential products in helping to protect against Covid-19.”

Nice-Pak is also investing in its Jonesboro, AR, plant where it  will double manufacturing capacity of disinfectant wipes. Upgrades will include the extension of existing lines and the addition of a new manufacturing line. Earlier last year, the plant moved to a 24-hour-per-day, seven-days-per week production schedule. The expansion, which began in January, is expected to be complete in August.

“Our products are essential for consumers to help stay healthy and well amid the Covid-19 pandemic,” says Julius. “We have been working non-stop to produce more wipes than ever before, and we commend the tremendous performance of our Jonesboro associates, who have been terrific in rising to the challenge.”

Nice-Pak has been making wet wipes in Jonesboro for more than a decade. In addition to Jonesboro, and Mooresville, IN, the company also has manufacturing sites in Orangeburg, NY, as well as two sites in the U.K. and one in Germany.

Also implementing a number of initiatives to increase its wipes capacity is Wisconsin-based contract manufacturer Kleen Test Products. In the early days of the pandemic the company increased staffing and adjusted shift schedules from 24/5 to 24/7. On top of the added staff, it utilized high levels of overtime to ensure continuous production. The manufacturer also purchased additional equipment to increase its production capability and has worked to qualify new suppliers and new materials in order to minimize supply chain shortages. It also worked with customers to adjust its production plans to prioritize essential products.

With vaccinations increasing and the pandemic slowing in the U.S., demand for household cleaning wipes appears to be slowing as well, according to representatives from Kleen Test Products. Consumer trend reports indicate that cleaning has become a priority during the pandemic and that new users and new cleaning habits are likely to stay long term. However, it remains unknown what the net incremental growth will be over the long term, the company says.

Another U.S.-based wipes manufacturer, Radienz Living, had to make adjustments in a challenging environment at the start of the pandemic. “We are so proud of the way our employees reacted to the global pandemic and how they embraced Radienz Living’s purpose of creating customer partnerships for life,” says Cesar Del Carpio, director of Innovation & Marketing, Radienz Living. “When the pandemic started, some of our manufacturing facilities were impacted. Raw material supply chains were affected but at no point did we stop producing. We quickly made the necessary changes to ensure the safety of our employees and exhibited agility in innovation to react to heightened demand from our customers.”

Post-pandemic, the company doubled its output of disinfecting and antibacterial wipes. It accomplished this through increases in productivity, additional shifts and investment in a new canister line in its new plant in Pittston, PA. Radienz Living also repurposed some of its flatpack wipe capacity to produce disinfecting wipes in flat pack format, instead of traditional canisters forms.

While demand may not go back to the peak levels seen in 2020, the company expects the market to settle somewhere in between pre- and post-pandemic. “The heightened attention to hygiene and wellness during the Covid-19 era led to an increased demand for disinfecting products, and stricter hygiene regimens are expected to remain,” Del Carpio says. “Consumers are increasingly associating cleanliness with staying healthy and related to a sense of security. As consumers’ mobility resumes to pre-pandemic levels, certain habits will remain out of home.”

A Greener Clean
Even as consumers gravitated towards traditional cleaning products like bleach and other disinfectants in the early months of the pandemic, the focus on sustainability and reducing the environmental footprint of wipes continued on the manufacturing side. Wipes makers and the supply chain have for years been working to meet consumers demands for a healthier product with a lower environmental impact, while also responding to increasing pressure from governments across the globe to reduce single-use plastics. They’ve been achieving these greener goals through plastic reduction in packaging, greener formulations and by using plastic-free substrates that are biodegradable or compostable.

According to Sansoni of the American Cleaning Institute, sustainability within the cleaning product sector remains a major priority, when looking at it through many different lenses such as product formulation, packaging design and recyclability, raw material sourcing and transparency. “We see more sustainable products and chemistries available due to innovation and strategic collaboration. I think we’ll have more good stories to tell in this space in the months and years to come,” he says.

The sustainability trend has remained strong in the background of the pandemic, adds Mango of Smithers. “The EU’s decision not to delay implementation of its single use plastics directive has set the tone, but most wipes producers understand changing major products requires time, so they have been working with their suppliers for a few years already. This work has not been delayed or abandoned.” 

Disinfecting wipes producers are evaluating technologies like carded/airlaid/carded spunlace to replace spunbond/pulp spunlace to eliminate plastics content, he explains, while newer, optimized carded/wetlaid pulp spunlace processes/products offered by Truetzschler and Andritz (“CP” technology) also offers options for plastic-free wipes as well. “The product portfolio may not change tomorrow, but it will change.”

Del Carpio of Radienz Living says that heightened attention to hygiene and wellness during the Covid-19 era has led to an increased demand for greener products. “Consumers want to know that the products they choose to use are safe for both their families and the environment. There is a long-term trend of greater willingness to embrace more sustainable cleaning routines that has emerged. For example, almost four out of 10 consumers are using natural cleaning products more often.”

Recently the company unveiled the addition of two new “greener” product solutions to its portfolio. A newly added citric acid-based botanicals disinfecting formula is exclusive to the company and does not use “quats,” or quaternary ammonium compounds, which means it’s not made with the potent disinfectant chemicals that are commonly found in disinfecting products. However, with a five-minute kill claim, where more than 99.9% of germs killed within a five-minute period can be attributed to the disinfecting product itself, it’s just as effective as other products. It’s also on the Environmental Protection Agency’s List N, which means it’s effective for use against SARS-CoV-2 on hard surfaces when used according to label directions. The formula is now available as a potential solution for any of its brand, retail and institutional customers.

“The addition of our exclusive citric acid-based botanicals disinfecting formula is a huge milestone for Radienz Living,” Radienz Living chief growth officer Ernesto Levy says. “In July 2021, we are launching Dynamo Botanicals disinfecting wipes, and a ready-to-use trigger spray and bottle using the citric acid-based formula. There is a lot happening at Radienz Living surrounding sustainable creation, and we hope our commitment to the environment and producing products that are as safe as they are effective is made clear through these efforts.”

Radienz Living’s commitment to sustainability is also seen with its new 105mm wipes canister utilizing Altium’s Dura-Lite design, which uses 23% less plastic than traditional canisters. Nearly one billion plastic canisters are used each year in the U.S., according to IRI Data. It is estimated that if every company used the Altium’s Dura-Lite canister, the U.S. would reduce plastic consumption by about 14,000 metric tons each year. 

Meanwhile, Nice-Pak introduced in January new packaging and branding for its Nice ‘N Clean product line, which includes surface disinfecting wipes that kill 99.9% of viruses and bacteria, including SARS-CoV-2. The wipes are extra-large, 9.9 x 8.2 inches, or 64% larger than leading household wipes. The launch of these surface disinfecting wipes complements Nice-Pak’s line-up of sustainable plant-based products which includes hand, baby and flushable wipes. In addition to being made with renewable plant-based fibers, the wipes are packaged in a “soft pack,” which uses 81% less plastic than canisters.

“We make sure everything we do with Nice ‘N Clean is sustainable,” says Michael Lyons, VP, business bevelopment and GM, Brands, Nice-Pak. “Our wipes are made from plant-based fibers and we are educating our consumers about how we are different from other wipes. Most people are surprised to learn that many wipes are made from plastics.”

Also committing to sustainability in the wipes market is the Albaad Group, a global manufacturer of wet wipes and feminine hygiene products. The Israeli company recently announced it would invest €50 million to expand and optimize its environmentally friendly nonwovens product line. The new line will make sustainable nonwovens made entirely of natural fibers that are biodegradable, flushable and free of plastic. Albaad expects to bring these products to market in 2023 representing the consistent continuation of the company’s sustainability strategy.

“As one of the world’s largest manufacturers of wet wipes and nonwovens, we at Albaad understand the importance of innovation as a growth factor, and we are committed to delivering sustainable products of the highest quality in order to help protect the environment,” says Wolfgang Tenbusch, managing director of Albaad Germany.

With the development of the new sustainable nonwovens product line, Albaad not only wants to make an active contribution to the environment but also to meet the growing demand from customers for environmentally friendly alternatives. The new nonwoven will be used in all of the manufacturer’s product categories, including moist toilet paper, wet wipes for baby care and feminine hygiene, household towels and body care wipes.

“The material will be 100% plastic-free and biodegradable because it will only consist of natural fibers. The quality of the product is by no means neglected,” emphasizes Tenbusch. “This makes Albaad one of the first manufacturers of wet wipe products in the world to invest extensively in the expansion of a sustainable product line.” 

The new product line is being developed with an innovative technology from the nonwovens industry. It will be installed at the headquarters in Israel and delivered from there to all locations around the world.