Fibertex Personal Care has launched a new product that enables an up to 50% reduction in the volume of plastics in diapers, while also significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions per diaper produced. Fibertex Personal Care supplies materials for up to 10% of the global diaper market.  

As the first company in the world, Fibertex Personal Care has developed a textile product that enables a significant reduction in the volume of plastics in diapers. Fibertex Personal Care’s new product weighs only 5 grams per square metre of finished product. As for the past several years the lightest product in the industry has weighed 8-10 grams, the new product naturally implies that the consumption of materials will be reduced by close to 50%. The new product stands to give Fibertex Personal Care a significant edge in the market. The company is one of the largest manufacturers of the textiles used in diapers, sanitary towels and incontinence products. 

– The new lightweight product is a good example of how Fibertex Personal Care has successfully applied its expertise to develop a product that can potentially make a huge difference in the production of diapers. No one thought it possible to produce a material that is so light while at the same time meeting the high quality standards demanded by customers. We have high expectations for this product because being one step ahead of the competition gives us a great advantage, says CEO Jens Bjerg Sørensen. 

In 2022, Fibertex Personal Care manufactured about 130,000 tonnes of nonwovens, the lion’s share of which was used for diapers.  

– We need a significantly lower volume of raw materials to make the same number of diapers when we use the lightweight product. Given that most emissions come from the production of plastic raw materials, this also means that we’re able to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Since we’re committed to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions over the next few years, efficient and responsible production is absolutely essential for us at Schouw & Co. Product development plays a crucial role in this context, and Fibertex Personal Care is at the cutting edge of the nonwovens industry, explains Jens Bjerg Sørensen. 

New product attracting keen interest 

Fibertex Personal Care recently presented the new product at a big industry fair in Switzerland, where it attracted a lot of attention from customers who will now explore how they can use the product in their own production. 

– Fair attendees were very surprised to learn that we had managed to reduce the weight by as much as 50%. For customers who may not be able to use the lightest product right away, we would be able to supply a product weighing 6 or 7 grams. What matters most is that we reduce the weight for the benefit of the climate, explains Fibertex Personal Care CEO Mikael Staal Axelsen, adding that the product can also be used for sanitary towels and incontinence products. 

Source: Schouw & Co. press release and data