Fibres Hygiene

Fibres Hygiene

The personal hygiene market encompasses a broad variety of personal care products for consumers of every age and gender. Although the purpose of the hygiene product may vary, all consumers seek products that enhance quality of life through convenience, safety, ease of use, comfort and – increasingly – enhanced environmental friendliness. Whether baby care, feminine hygiene or elder care; whether diaper, pantyliner, or adult incontinence pad, end consumers have come to rely on the reliable and innovative hygiene products made possible by innovations in polyolefin fibres.

While end consumers value specific properties such as softness and performance reliability (e.g. no leaking of liquids while at the same time remaining dry to the touch), suppliers and manufacturers depend on a reliable supply of cost-effective polypropylene (PP) fibre materials, including:

• Spunbond
• Meltblown
• Staple fibres

Nonwoven manufacturers demand materials of the highest quality in order to enable high output rates and production at high line speeds as well as low levels of both waste and defects. Downgauging potential is also a vital criterion, as it can help promote more efficient use of scarce resources while at the same time enhancing product performance. One good example of the potential offered by downgauging is thinner products: today, the top sheet of a diaper is 50% thinner than it was 15 years ago thanks to advances in converting technologies and improved material properties. Production lines can be operated faster and more efficiently, and with less waste, for the same reasons.