The Year that Was

The use of nonwoven materials continued to be strong in 2024 as consumers continued to rely on the convenience of baby diapers, feminine care items and many types of wipes formats. While investment in new lines continues to be slow, following the surge of 2020-2021, product development, innovation and entrepreneurialism continued to be strong. Investments within the hygiene category, particularly in North America, continue to show optimism for the future, while new product formats continue to showcase the versatility of nonwovens technologies.

Here are some of the key topics that have shaped 2024 and beyond.

Magnera, the World’s Largest Nonwovens Producer, is Created

In November, a merger created the world’s largest nonwovens producer, Magnera. A combination of Berry Global’s Health, Hygiene and Specialties Global Nonwovens and Films business (HHNF) and Glatfelter, the companies announced in February they would join forces to add value for their shareholders and create innovative polymer- and fiber-based solutions for their customers.

Under the agreement, Berry spun-off and merged the majority of its Health, Hygiene and Specialties (HHS) segment —including its global nonwovens and films business—with Glatfelter, a maker of airlaid and spunlaced nonwovens.

Together, the two companies, which are both based in the U.S., operate 45 manufacturing sites globally, spanning a range of nonwovens and nonwovens-adjacent technologies focused strongly on healthcare, hygiene, wipes and specialty end markets.

Curt Begle, president of Berry’s HHS business, was tapped to serve as CEO of the new company, while the upper management team represents combination of Berry and Glatfelter executives. Combined revenues are reported at $3.6 billion.

“This announcement is the culmination of a comprehensive review of strategic alternatives to determine the value-maximizing path forward for Berry shareholders,” said Kevin Kwilinski, Berry’s CEO. “We believe these two businesses, in combination, can drive significant value for shareholders with complementary portfolios, positioning each for greater success. Following completion of the transaction, Berry will become a pure-play provider of innovative, sustainable global packaging solutions, which we believe will deliver even more predictable earnings growth for Berry shareholders. Additionally, we believe HHNF in combination with Glatfelter will thrive as an independent company that is positioned to drive long-term growth with its global brand-owner customers.”

In September 2023, Berry announced it would review strategic alternatives for its HHS segment in an effort to focus more squarely on its global packaging business. According to Kwilinski, the deal with Glatfelter was chosen because it could create substantial value for Berry shareholders and a clear path for the company to capitalize on growth within the nonwovens industry.

Following the merger, Berry Global announced it was being merged with packaging giant Amcor.

Diaper Investment in North America

New diaper capacity is coming to North America. Investments from two of the market’s largest suppliers of private label and contract manufactured diapers are making significant investments in their manufacturing footprint. These efforts come as demand for high quality, premium-style diapers continues to grow amidst private label retailers and boutique brands in the North American markets. 

According to the Private Label Manufacturers Association, demand for store brand baby care products is on the rise. For the year ended August 13, 2023, disposable diaper dollar sales rose 10% to $646 million while private label baby wipes increased 11.1% to $634 million. 


Seven years after establishing a U.S. headquarters for its adult diaper business in Eau Claire, WI, Drylock Technologies started making disposable baby diapers in the U.S. at a new site in Reidsville, NC, not far from its competitor Ontex’s North American plant in Stokesville, NC. Executives expect the new plant to be the next success story in the Belgium-based company’s ambitious investment strategy which has helped propel its sales from surpass $1.2 billion, just one decade after its establishment.

“The move is part of our strategy to follow our customers: it is answering the increasing demand for baby care products among our valued North American customers and serves as the perfect addition to our plant in Wisconsin, which has served as the bedrock of our incontinence products business in the USA for seven years,” says Drylock CEO Bart Van Malderen. 

A localized presence in the U.S. baby care market will allow Drylock to support faster product development for its local customers and support them with unparalleled speed to market, he adds. Drylock has largely focused on the retailer brands segment of the hygiene market where it serves customers in baby and adult care brands. According to Van Malderen, growth is being driven by enhanced product quality and range extensions, optimized positioning and high innovation levels as well as sustainable solutions, all designed to compete directly with national brands. 

Additionally,  two years after announcing a plan to consolidate its U.S. manufacturing footprint with a shift away from its King of Prussia, PA, plant, First Quality Hygiene  will increase its baby diaper and training pant manufacturing by 50% and its adult care products capacity by 25% through an investment in Macon, GA.

The baby care investment will be implemented in stages and is expected to be completed by June 2025 while the adult care expansion is expected to be finished by September 2025.

In addition to the Macon site, First Quality currently has manufacturing facilities in McElhattan, PA, and Drummondville, Quebec.

The incontinence products expansion will allow First Quality to satisfy the growing demand for its products. In addition, the company will be launching new innovative products not currently found in North America and introducing cutting-edge innovations and enhanced features. This expansion will be completed by September of 2025.

EDANA and INDA Team Up

In September, INDA, the Association of the Nonwovens Industry, based in Cary, NC, and EDANA, the Voice of Nonwovens, headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to explore a strategic alliance. This milestone, reached during EDANA’s Outlook conference in Rome, Italy, represents a significant step toward leveraging their combined expertise and resources to address global challenges and drive new opportunities in the nonwovens industry.

As the nonwovens industry evolves, both associations recognize the need for a unified approach to navigate complex international markets. The potential alliance aims to deliver several key benefits:

• Enhance the scope and value to Members: The increased integration of resources will enable both organizations to deliver greater value to members, offering an expanded range of educational programs, enhanced networking opportunities, and access to a wider breadth of industry insights.
• Joint Advocacy and Representation: The alliance will amplify both organizations’ collective voice, enhancing their ability to advocate for members’ interests at local, regional, and global levels, ensuring that their needs and concerns are effectively addressed.
• Operational Synergies: The alliance will create efficiencies, strengthen the collective talent pool, and optimize the use of financial resources to better support member and industry initiatives.
• Innovation and Growth: The alliance will drive joint initiatives and projects that foster innovation, enhance industry leadership, and support the long-term growth and sustainability of the nonwovens industry.

“This Letter of Intent underscores our commitment in exploring how we can better serve the nonwovens community and tackle industry’s evolving challenges,” says Murat Dogru, general manager of EDANA. “Our purpose is to ensure that our members are well-positioned to thrive in a dynamic global environment. Reflecting on the Treaty of Rome signed decades ago, we hope that the signing of this Letter of Intent in Rome will pave the way for even greater achievements.”

INDA president & CEO Tony Fragnito adds, “This potential alliance represents an opportunity to combine our strengths while openly engaging on the global issues affecting the industry. Better coordination will enhance our ability to serve the industry and our members while retaining our regionally focused support and representation.”

The organizations will conduct a thorough due diligence process over the coming months to evaluate the strategic benefits and operational efficiencies of a potential alliance. Both associations remain dedicated to advancing their members’ interests and exploring new growth avenues within the nonwovens industry.

Further updates will be shared as discussions progress.

Plastic Wipes Ban Enacted in the U.K.

In April, the U.K. Government announced legislation to ban wet wipes containing plastic in a multi-step effort this year. The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) plans to institute the legislation on a country-by-country basis beginning with England  and eventually expanding to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Legislators feel that banning plastic-containing wipes will reduce plastic and microplastic pollution and reduce the volume of microplastics entering wastewater treatment sites when wrongly flushed—meaning beaches and waterways will benefit from the ban.

Responses to the public consultation showed overwhelming support for the proposed ban—which will be introduced via secondary legislation under the country's Environmental Protection Act 1990—with 95% of respondents agreeing or strongly agreeing with the proposals.

“Wet wipes containing plastic are polluting our waterways and causing microplastics to enter the environment. Defra will introduce legislation before the summer recess to crack down on this unnecessary source of pollution, following our successful single-use carrier bag charge and ban on microbeads in personal care products,” says Steve Barclay, environment secretary. “I have been clear that a step change is needed to protect our waterways from pollution. The ban builds on a raft of actions already taken to protect our waterways and hold water companies accountable - including accelerating investment, putting water company fines back into the environment and quadrupling the number of inspections of water company sites.”

EDANA, the leading global trade association for the nonwovens industry and a representative of many major wet wipes manufacturers in the U.K., supports the legislation. 

“Reducing plastic in the environment is an extremely important goal and this needs to be done whilst also ensuring that parents, carers, businesses, and the NHS can continue to make use of the valuable functions that wet wipes provide regarding hygiene, anti-viral qualities post-Covid-19, helping with care, parenting, and industrial processes,” the association said in a prepared statement. “Reducing plastic also needs to be done in a way that achieves its environmental objective while avoiding unnecessary U.K. manufacturing job losses in communities across the U.K., which in turn could lead to loss of investment, competitiveness, and innovation.

“In recent years, the U.K. wet wipes industry has made considerable progress in reducing plastic in consumer wipes, and over half of consumer wet wipes on the market in the U.K. today are already plastic-free. The four Governments in the U.K. have taken a considered approach and the proposals set out will build on these efforts. We look forward to working with the four Governments on the implementation and next steps for plastic-free consumer wet wipes in the U.K. In the meantime, we welcome the fact that the proposals enable the continued use of the vital functions that wet wipes provide and will allow the industry to continue to innovate and operate without unnecessary job losses and investment in the U.K. market. 

“Building on the major steps that have already been taken towards this, EDANA member companies operating in the U.K. will move forward to deliver plastic-free consumer wet wipes in compliance with any new government regulations and in line with the proposed timelines.”

Even before the ban, several U.K. retailers including Boots and Aldi banned the sale of plastic-containing wipes in their stores. 

The government response also sets out exemptions to ensure that wet wipes containing plastic remain available where there is no viable alternative – such as for medical disinfectant purposes. The government will review the need for these exemptions regularly.

Major wipes makers are already focused on limiting the use of plastics in their products. Last year, Johnson & Johnson’s Neutrogena brand partnered with Lenzing's Veocel fiber brand to transition its makeup removal wipes to 100% plant-based fibers. The wipes now use Veocel branded fibers made with renewable wood from sustainably managed and certified forests and can be composted at home in 35 days, eliminating waste which ends up in a landfill.

More Plastic-Free Technology in Wipes

As plastic bans become more widespread in the disposable wipes segment, manufacturers across many industries have been seeking ways to incorporate alternative raw materials into wipes. Aided by substrate suppliers, who are investing in new lines and existing line upgrades to allow them to create wipe materials from fibers like bamboo, cotton and cellulose, makers of wipes have been incorporating natural features for years. On the professional side, however, adoption has been slower due to formulation limitations. The active ingredients in harsher cleaning wipes have been widely considered to be too harsh on natural materials...until recently. New technologies have allowed suppliers of professional wipes to convert new substrates and the results are being noted on the market.

According to a study recently conducted by Kline & Co., more than 65% of respondents said that sustainability plays a role in their decisions when buying a professional cleaning wipe product. Concerns about waste, biodegradability and compatibility with their ESG goals were significant factors, with nearly 52% of respondents using fewer disposable wipes due to waste concerns, almost 40% due to biodegradability concerns, and 32% due to ESG goals.


Ecolab Disinfectant 1 Wipe with 100% Plastic-Free Substrate shows how innovative product development can help create safer patient environments and great operational efficiency while reducing the volume of single-use plastics being sent into the healthcare systems. This wipe offers one-minute hospital disinfection, made with a substrate derived 100% from wood pulp fibers. The wipe substrate is 100% plastic-free and readily degradable.

When it comes to hospital disinfectant wipes, factors like kill claims and contact time are especially important. Organizations need to consider whether a wipe will kill the pathogens of interest, based on emerging diseases and local epidemiology. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are particularly important to many hospitals and health systems.

“Ecolab’s readily degradable disinfectant wipe uses an EPA-registered disinfectant with broad spectrum kill claims against 40+ organisms and emerging pathogens, and provides healthcare workers with the opportunity to help mitigate the risk of hospital-acquired infections,” Karoline Sperling, clinical services manager, healthcare prevention, Ecolab, says.

Additionally, CloroxPro, the makers of Clorox professional products, expanded its Clorox EcoClean product platform with the launch of Clorox EcoClean disinfectant wipes—a move that comes more than a decade after launching a biodegradable consumer cleaning wipe. These Design for the Environment (DfE)-certified, ready-to-use wipes are made with a 100% plant-based substrate and naturally-derived, citric acid active ingredient that kills 99.9% of germs without bleach, ammonia or alcohol.

“At CloroxPro, we are committed to protecting public health by creating safer, healthier shared spaces,” says Kirstem Hochberg, a senior specialist on Clorox’s scientific affairs team. “We do this by evolving with our end-users’ needs through product innovation. For cleaning professionals, demand for eco-conscious products continues to grow—in fact, the green cleaning industry is growing faster than the traditional cleaning industry.”

To create a more eco-conscious wipe without sacrificing efficacy and efficiency, Clorox EcoClean Disinfecting Wipes are specially formulated with a citric acid active ingredient making them gentle on surfaces but tough on grease, grime and germs. They clean and kill 99.9% of germs without bleach, ammonia or alcohol and without harsh chemical odors, and the cloths are made with 100% plant-based fibers.

“The demand for eco-conscious cleaners and disinfectants continues to increase as facilities prioritize the comfort of their staff  and meeting their sustainability goals,” says Kyra Caskey, senior director of marketing, CloroxPro. “This is why we are proud to expand the Clorox EcoClean portfolio with ready-to-use disinfecting wipes that offer cleaning professionals an eco-conscious alternative that works just as well as the leading professional disinfecting wipe.”

WIPPES Act Sets National Standardfor Wipes Labeling

In June, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Wastewater Infrastructure Pollution Prevention and Environments Safety (WIPPES) Act (H.R. 2964), which would create national standards for “Do Not Flush” labeling for non-flushable wipes. The legislation passed out of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce in December 2023 and has cleared the House floor in a bipartisan vote. The bill now awaits consideration in the Senate Science, Commerce, and Energy Committee.

This bipartisan legislation is intended to address the growing problem of sewer system clogs caused by improper disposal of consumer wipes that are not intended to be flushed down the toilet. This federal solution is the result of a years-long industry collaboration between the disposable wipes industry and wastewater operators which has resulted in the passage of similar legislation in seven states. The WIPPES Act will create a national standard based on existing state laws to ensure non-flushable wipes will carry prominent “Do Not Flush” labeling on packaging. Stakeholders on both sides of the issue have reached out in support of the legislation.

“The damage from improperly flushed wet wipes and other non-flushable products have placed a costly burden on public wastewater utilities,” says Adam Krantz, CEO, National Association of the Clean Water Agencies (NACWA). “Labeling these items is an important step in consumer education that will ultimately benefit utilities and their ratepayers by protecting critical wastewater infrastructure.”

In the report “The Cost of Wipes on America’s Clean Water Utilities,” NACWA estimates that improper flushing of wipes result in about $441 million a year in additional operating costs at U.S. clean water utilities. This study, published in 2020, was designed to help wipes manufacturers, users and policy makers better understand the cost of wipes when they are either flushed down toilets despite being labeled as not flushable or flushed as flushable wipes that have not passed testing guidelines established by the experts.

The WIPPES Act legislation, which was sponsored in the House by Representative by Lisa McClain (R-MI) and Representative Mary Peltola (D-AK) and was introduced in the Senate by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), is intended to offer clear and consistent labeling that will lead to improved consumer education and awareness of what should and should not be flushed. The products that are labeled as being safe to flush must past stringent testing guidelines developed and endorsed by both the wipes and wastewater industries

Led by INDA, the wipes industry’s efforts to help manufacturers and consumers better differentiate between flushable and non-flushable wipes started two decades ago with the establishment of a special flushability task force, made up of stakeholders throughout the wipes industry supply chain. Efforts have yielded flushability and labeling guidelines for wipes that would satisfy both manufacturers of wet wipes and members of the wastewater industry and hopefully lessen misconceptions that flushable wipes are responsible for sewage problems.

Since the issuance of the first guidelines for flushability in 2008, INDA has updated this document four times. Most recently, the fourth edition of the guidance document was published in 2018 with the support and input of wastewater industry representatives, offering more stringent testing methods as well as an updated Code of Practices requiring the Do Not Flush logo to feature prominently on packaging of wipes that should not be flushed.
These labeling practices are better educating consumers on bathroom habits, and so far, they seem to be working. According to a recent survey conducted by the Responsible Flushing Alliance, 41.8% of consumers have become more thoughtful about what they flush over the last six months and 48% ranked product packaging as a top place to look for disposable instructions on wipes. As a national standard the WIPPES Act would support clear and consistent labeling across the U.S., replicating what some states—Washington, Oregon, Illinois, Colorado and Michigan—are already doing to tackle wastewater challenges because non-flushable wipes comprise the majority of items creating concerns for wastewater operators as indicated by several collection studies.

“Wastewater advocates decided to take the California language to Congress to propose a national Do Not Flush labeling requirement, and what is now the WIPPES Act started its life as a section of the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act in a previous two-year congressional session,” says Wes Fischer, INDA director of Government Affairs. “In the last Congress, the language was pulled from that bill into a standalone bill which became the WIPPES Act, and INDA signed on to support the legislation after it was slightly amended to fully comply with existing state requirements.” 

According to Fischer, the WIPPES Act started to move in the U.S. House last fall and was amended in committee to streamline the language to align it to other federal requirements and to reduce rule-making efforts that would be required by the Federal Trade Commission which is tasked with enforcing the potential law. The Act passed the committee on a unanimous 31-0 vote and passed the full U.S. House in June with over 82% support. 

Most manufacturers and distributors of disposable wipes—both flushable and non-flushable—operate on a national, if not global, scale. Likewise, the retailers they work with also operate beyond state borders. Having a unified national standard would clear up confusion on labeling and testing requirements that vary from state to state.

“If the Senate passes the WIPPES Act and it is signed into law by the President, the wipes industry would greatly benefit by having one single standard to follow and would not have to worry about one state passing a labeling bill with a similar intention but with far different requirements that would make it infeasible to distribute wipe products on a national scale,” Fischer adds.