According to Borealis, the nonwovens industry is moving towards a circular business model. As the growing world population is increasingly depending on soft and lofty nonwoven materials for absorbent products in everyday personal hygiene, from baby diapers to feminine hygiene products and incontinence care, the company claims that certified renewable Bornewables polymers from Borealis help manufacturers combine efficient processability with significant benefits for the climate.
Borealis nonwovens
In order to achieve their mission and offer value-added as well as more sustainable solutions to their customers, PFNonwovens Group teamed up with Borealis to enhance their production of nonwoven materials for the personal hygiene market and set a new industry standard by using Bornewables PP resins for spunbond and meltblown solutions.
Tonny De Beer, Chief Product, Technology & Sustainability Officer at PFNonwovens Group said:“Anticipating the growing demand for more sustainable nonwoven solutions, we have focused our development resources over the past several years on the circular sphere to accelerate our journey towards climate neutrality. For PFN’s nonwoven products, fossil-based resins are today the main contributor to the carbon footprint. Therefore, using the Borealis Bornewables instead of standard fossil-based resins will significantly reduce the carbon footprint, even enabling products with a carbon footprint under zero.”
The company believes that Bornewables can be used as direct drop-in replacements for comparable fossil-based polyolefins. In PFN’s nonwoven production, they required no changes to the existing manufacturing process while delivering the same high quality and performance as previous non-renewable virgin materials.
In line with Borealis’s EverMinds ambitions to accelerate action on circularity, the Bornewables PP used by PFN is made with second-generation raw material feedstock derived entirely from waste and residue vegetable oil streams. The renewable content in all Bornewables products is mass balance accredited under the ISCC(International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) PLUS certification standard, confirming their authenticity and fully transparent traceability from the raw materials to the finished products.
“The combination of our expertise in polymer science and development with PFN’s processing know-how has resulted in nonwovens that make full use of the Bornewables advantages to minimise CO₂ emissions. Together we are reducing both waste and fossil depletion, while delivering cost-efficient products for the hygiene market with a premium look and feel,” adds Peter Voortmans, Global Commercial Director Consumer Product at Borealis. “At the same time, it serves as a role model of Borealis’ commitment to re-invent essentials for sustainable living in collaboration with value chain partners who share common goals.”