INDEX™ Awards: 2023 Winning Entries

Open to products that were made commercially available by January 31, 2023, and selected by a jury of experienced industry peers, EDANA’s INDEX™ Awards for “Excellence in the nonwovens and related industries” are the highest accolade for distinction in the nonwovens value chain. Here are the winners for 2023:

1. Nonwoven roll goods

WINNER: Suominen – HYDRASPUN® Circula Nonwoven

HYDRASPUN® Circula is one the first nonwovens on the market to be produced with recycled paper and virgin cellulosic fibres. It is challenging to use a waste source as a raw material in nonwovens due to high quality and hygiene requirements, which makes

HYDRASPUN® Circula stand out as a successful example of innovation.

2. Finished products made from, or incorporating nonwovens

WINNER: Henkel – Smart Adult Care

Smart Adult Care transforms a conventional diaper into a smart, connected medical device. This is a vital step into the future of patient-centered care and smart hygiene services. Equipped with a lightweight, flexible printed sensor and reusable pod, the diaper enables remote monitoring of moisture, movement, and temperature. It was developed in cooperation with Henkel’s IoT partner Smartz AG.

3. Raw materials or components (e.g., fibre, binder, polymer, tape), of special relevance to the nonwovens industry and related converted products

WINNER: Fiberpartner – BicoBio

A future proof bicomponent fibre core sheath construction, developed from materials with a low carbon footprint, this component was designed to biodegrade in the environments where most plastics eventually find themselves: landfills and ocean water.

• The bio-based PE is produced from sugar cane and has a negative carbon footprint.

• The Recycled PET is GRS certified.

• PrimaLoft® Bio™ an additive technology that enables polyester and fabric fibres to biodegrade in the environment.

4. Innovation in machinery of special relevance to the nonwovens industry WINNER: Curt G. Joa, Inc. – ESC-8™ JOA’s ESC-8™ Electronic Size Change unit offers a previously unavailable push-button product changeover technology. It uses numerous methods and processes that are truly unique to inline product changeover and flexibility. As one example, each absorbent insert carriage within the ESC-8™ unit is controlled and cammed independently leading to unparalleled process flexibility and user control.

5. Sustainable Product WINNER: Sparkle Innovations –SugaFluff™

Made from bagasse fibres, SugaFluff™ offers a wood-free, sustainable, costeffective, high performing and truly circular alternative source of fluff pulp for absorbent hygiene products. No extra land is required to grow bagasse fibres for SugaFluff,™ as sugarcane bagasse is an abundantly available by-product of the sugar industry.

Suzano – The company’s core product, Eucafluff® is the world’s first eucalyptus fluff and is a renewable-source raw material with a smaller carbon footprint, while simultaneously providing end consumers with a more efficient product that offers greater well-being. It is an innovative product designed for disposable sanitary absorbent products and other personal hygiene items, such as baby diapers, adult incontinence products, pet pads and for use in hospital supplies. As a sustainable solution from a renewable source, it offers companies the benefits of the lower carbon footprint.

Bast Fibre Technologies Inc. – The natural hemp fibre sero™ is designed as Bast Fibre’s product that meets the rigorous technical standards required by commercial fabric manufacturing, including hygiene applications. It is a plug-and-play replacement for synthetic fibre, made from a highly efficient renewable agricultural crop that is one of the best natural sources of fibre. sero™ natural hemp fibre enables manufacturers to create consumer products with a circular, soil-to-soil lifecycle. Beyond plant based, sero™ is intact plant fibre, ideal for creating next-generation sustainable consumer products. It has the qualities of being natural, strong, clean and bright, soft and absorbent, with the environmental benefits of true sustainability, zero plastic, forest friendly, and 100% compostable.

UPM – Lignin is a 100% bio-based substance that can be found in the cell walls of all plants and especially trees. UPM BioPiva™ lignin is a versatile natural polymer, verifiably non-toxic and responsible sourced raw material. Lignin plays an important role in the natural carbon cycle by binding atmospheric carbon dioxide and serving as a long-term carbon storage. The goal is to transform the sustainability performance of products and help radically improve manufacturers CO₂ footprint. UPM BioPiva™ 100 is a purified, kraft softwood lignin that can be used in various applications. It is a non-toxic product from renewable sources. UPM BioPiva™ 100 can be used to replace and to reduce the usage of fossil-based materials without compromising the performance.