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Spanlace: Napkins - current trends and forecast

Global consumption of nonwovens "spanlace" continues to grow. The latest exclusive data show that by the end of 2023, global consumption will reach 1.85 million tons worth $10.35 billion.
Like many nonwovens segments, "spanlace" resisted any downward trend in consumption during the pandemic years. Since 2018, consumption has increased by +7.6% on average per year (CAGR), and cost has increased by +8.1% CAGR. Demand is projected to grow over the next five years: an average annual growth rate of +10.1% will increase the value to $16.73 billion in 2028. Over the same period, the consumption of nonwovens "spanlace" will increase to 2.79 million tons.
Wipes – sustainability, performance and competition
Napkins play a central role in the continued success of spanlace. In the modern market, they account for 64.8% of all products made from this non-woven material. And "spanlace" will continue to increase its share in the overall napkin market for both consumer and industrial applications. For consumer wipes, spunlace is produced with the desired softness, durability and absorbency. For industrial wipes, spunlace combines strength, abrasion resistance and absorbency.
Of the existing eight varieties of the "spanlace" process, the highest growth rates will be in the new variants CP (carding/wet laying of cellulose/hydroweaving) and CAC (carding/air laying of cellulose/carding/hydroweaving). This analysis reflects the enormous potential that these processes have for the production of nonwovens without the use of plastic. At the same time, with the help of these variations, the manufacturers of "spanlace"; they avoid legislative pressure on indelible wipes and satisfy the demand of owners of personal care brands for sets of environmentally friendly products.
Competing materials are used to produce napkins, but they face their own market challenges. Airlaid nonwovens are used in North America for the manufacture of baby and dry industrial wipes; however, the production of rolled materials using the air-laying method has serious limitations in the number of installed capacities, and also faces high demand from competing applications as hygienic components.
The "co-forming" process is quite common in both North America and Asia, but its production is highly dependent on polypropylene. Research and development in the field of more sustainable structures is a priority, although it will take several years before the plastic-free option becomes at least a little closer to its implementation.
*Co-forming is a process in which a cloth obtained by air-laying wood pulp and nonwovens obtained by blowing from a melt are combined to create a more absorbent and durable composite structure. During this process, microfibers obtained by extrusion from the melt are mixed with wood pulp fibers in a high-speed air flow. Then the mixture is placed on a conveyor belt. The microfibres blown out of the melt act as a binder and help to form a web with an excellent combination of liquid absorption, strength, softness and volume.
Double crepe (DRC) also has a capacity limit and is only available for dry wipes.
*Double ReCrepe (DRC)**: DRC is a unique non-woven fabric production process for paper napkins. In the DRC process, the cellulose fiber base is first impregnated with a binder, and then passes through heated steel rolls, which emboss and mechanically soften the material, giving it fabric-like properties.DRC wipes are known for their exceptional ability to wipe and dry, durability, high absorbency and resistance to wet environments.
In relation to the production process of nonwovens, "spanlace" combining these methods can lead to the creation of an innovative composite material. This may mean the emergence of a new product that combines the strength, durability and absorbency of non-woven fabric "spanlace" with the absorbency and softness of the process "coform", as well as the high absorbency and strength of the DRC process. The specific benefits and characteristics of the final product will depend on the exact formulations, processes and combinations used. The details of the process may vary depending on the application and the specific industry practice.
Napkins by segment
Analytics in the spanlace sector tracks demand for 12 different napkin formats. Of these, the most significant in 2023 are: baby wipes — 48.7% of the total consumption of napkins from “spanlace” industrial wipes 21.6%, napkins for household use 17.3% and napkins for personal hygiene 12.3%.
Baby wet wipes
According to forecasts, the consumption of baby wipes from "spanlace" will grow relatively slowly in the period 2023-2028. This is almost entirely due to the slower growth of the overall baby wet wipes market. However, the size of this market means that by 2028, it will account for an additional 40,000 tons of nonwovens annually, most of which will be nonwovens "spanlace" variants.
Although plastic-free baby wipes are now commercially available, environmental friendliness is a less important market factor in this segment, although some consumers are switching from disposable wipes to a textile fabric that can be washed. Many parents are already throwing baby wipes down the toilet. Work on flushable baby wipes continues, but there are concerns that if they gain market penetration, it could cause confusion and lead to more indelible wipes entering sewer systems.
Napkins for personal hygiene
Personal care wipes represent a more dynamic segment. It includes wet toilet wipes for both toddlers and adults, who benefit most from switching to washable nonwovens. Medical services, feminine hygiene, cosmetics and facial wipes are projected to have strong growth, but still below the market average for this category. On the contrary, over the next five years, demographic factors will contribute to an increase in demand for wipes as a detergent and adult wipes used for incontinence.
The "spanlace" material with wet laying of staple and cellulose fibers (WLS) is the market leader in this product, and only ion-air laying, patented by Kimberly-Clark, can be a viable alternative. In 2023, regulators and wastewater treatment plants are still causing some concern and resistance to flushable wipes, as there are many standards from different groups to define flushable wipes. It is expected that at some point between 2023 and 2028, these various groups will reach an agreement on an acceptable definition of flushable nonwoven fabric. When this happens, the personal care wipes market may see even higher growth rates.
Napkins for household use
Household wipes were of the greatest benefit in the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, when surface disinfection was officially approved as a method to prevent the spread of the virus. Sales of these wipes increased by 80% from 2019 to 2020 with government support, in some cases, the commissioning of new lines. In practice, sales of other napkin segments also increased due to the fact that stocks of specialized disinfecting wipes quickly ran out.
The main active ingredient of disinfectant wipes are quaternary ammonium compounds (quats), which effectively destroy coronaviruses on hard surfaces. The main problem is that quats react with cellulose fibers, reducing their effectiveness against microbes. Consequently, many manufacturers prefer the construction of the "spunbonded spunlace" canvas made of polypropylene. However, several major brands are already developing suitable plastic-free options, including quat-resistant fibers, which are expected to be available by 2028.
Industrial wipes
Applications of industrial wipes include use as a rag in manufacturing, degreasing car bodies, fighting spills of fuels and lubricants, cleaning industrial printers, cleaning kitchen appliances, wiping clean rooms, polishing, skin preparation, antibacterial treatment and patient preparation.
The main driving forces of general purpose industrial napkins are cost and their characteristics. Saving time is important only where it affects cost. Special wipes, mainly cleanroom wipes and wipes for the preparation of automotive/metal surfaces, give priority to high strength, low lint formation and solvent resistance.
In industrial applications, there is also interest in switching to plastic-free napkins, in particular in the field of public catering, with the wider introduction of CAC technology or hydro-bonded airlides (HEA). Although, as with household disinfectant wipes, compatibility with "quats" remains a problem that needs to be addressed.