As growth continues, wipes manufacturers will have to simultaneously meet increasing consumer demand with more products while lessening the impact of this market on the environment. This will not be easy.

It seems the growth part of this equation is currently being handled. New spunlace lines and wetlaid lines are being added globally in response to increased demand for wipes—particularly in the disinfectant and flushable categories. The companies adding these new lines are eager to capitalize on double-digit growth in the category fueled by consumers’ thirst for convenient and effective cleaning solutions.

The sustainable solution is a bit trickier. Upcoming regulations relating to single-use plastics in the European Union and in some U.S. states and Canadian provinces as well as changing consumer sentiment are putting synthetic-based wipes in the hot seat. Already, the U.K.’s largest retailer, Tesco, has committed to banning the sale of plastic-based baby wipes and will eventually extend this ban into other wipes categories, it says.

Many of the new nonwovens lines targeting wipes are equipped with the capability to process a wide range of fibers—both synthetics and naturals—but will the final substrate be hardy enough to handle tough disinfecting formulas required to keep surfaces clean?

Probably. Brands like Lysol and Clorox have already launched plant-based products that are proven to work but they are hard to find and priced somewhat higher than their synthetic-based counterparts. So a second question emerges, are consumers willing to pay more to ditch plastics? We’ll have to see…unless manufacturers figure out a way to balance cost and availability with innovation.
As always we appreciate your comments.

Karen McIntyre
Editor