EDANA, the leading global association serving the nonwovens and related industries, has unveiled the finalists for the INDEX™26 Awards—the nonwoven industry’s highest accolade for technical and sustainable excellence. Out of a record-breaking field of entries, the shortlisted innovations span bio-based fibers, PFAS-free medical barriers, recyclable hygiene adhesives, advanced filtration systems, and high-efficiency converting technologies, reflecting the sector’s accelerating shift toward circular, sustainable, and high-performance materials-10.

The finalists, selected by a jury of industry experts for their ability to solve critical global challenges—including the transition to a circular economy and enhanced consumer performance—represent the cutting edge of material science-10.

Lenzing’s LENZING™ DualWipe has been nominated in the “Nonwovens Roll Goods” category. The product is a high-performance cleaning wipe crafted from regenerated cellulose using Lenzing Nonwovens Technology. Its innovative dual-surface design integrates abrasion and absorbency in a single material, enabling efficient cleaning without relying on fossil-based synthetic materials, binders, or chemical additives. The jury praised the product for addressing the pressing industry challenge of combining performance with sustainability, leveraging a novel web architecture of cellulose filaments to eliminate plastics and microplastics while delivering high-efficiency cleaning.-10-30.

Magnera Corporation’s Next-Gen Fluid Barrier Technology represents a major advancement in protective medical textiles. Designed for demanding surgical and clinical environments, the technology delivers durable liquid repellency against water, oil, and other fluids without intentionally added PFAS—chemicals traditionally used for this function but now facing increasing regulatory scrutiny due to environmental persistence and potential health risks. Through advanced material engineering, the technology maintains the high-performance standards healthcare professionals require while aligning with evolving global regulatory expectations.-10.

Woolchemy‘s neweFlex ADL is a plastic-free acquisition distribution layer containing neweFibre—a hygiene-grade wool fiber that meets strict regulatory standards for non-sterile hygiene products while preserving wool’s natural functionality. Engineered as a plastic-free alternative to petroleum-based ADLs, the product blends wool and plant-based fibers to deliver natural benefits including breathability, thermal regulation, and odor control-10.

A comprehensive program of company presentations will take place across the three days of the exhibition, reflecting many aspects of the ongoing transition to sustainable materials through polymer and additives design, fiber engineering, and new finishing chemistries. These developments are no longer just about material substitution within the nonwovens industry, but lifecycle design, regulatory anticipation, and cost-neutral decarbonization-11.

Among key speakers, Dr. Stan Haftka of Japan‘s Kaneka will present details of the company’s Green Planet initiative and the development of PHBH-based biodegradable polymers created via a proprietary biofermentation process. As the foundation of spunmelt nonwoven fabrics, PHBH is strongly resistant to heat and can also act as a barrier to water vapor, with potential applications in food packaging, agriculture, and hygiene sectors-11.

SK Leaveo, headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, will showcase its biopolymers and nanocellulose materials, which enable nonwovens manufacturers to create components characterized by softness, hydrophilicity, and cooling effects while meeting strict comfort and safety standards. Biodegradability is combined with proven skin compatibility and high performance for sustainable hygiene solutions-11.

Finland‘s Kemira has developed bio-based and biodegradable hydrophobic agents for cellulosic nonwovens, with different levels of hydrophobicity engineered for various applications, from higher resistance to washing to extra softness-11.

China’s Wisdom Greentech will introduce at INDEX™26 the world‘s first nonwoven material based on 0.4 denier fibers—two-thirds the diameter of silk fibers. The company has patented a process for making an air-through bonded (ATB) nonwoven topsheet said to possess superior dryness and better rewet performance than conventional cotton spunlace materials. With a 100% cotton skin-contact layer, the product is manufactured without the use of chemical binders or ultrasonic bonding-28. This launch represents a new era for ultra-fine denier ATB nonwovens, following the company’s introduction of 0.8 denier material in 2021 and 0.6 denier material in 2024-28.

In a high-level roundtable hosted in Brussels in early March, organized in cooperation with Euractiv, the Lenzing Group brought together European Commission representatives, policymakers, academia, civil society, and industry leaders to discuss how bio-based materials can strengthen Europe‘s economic security and support the shift toward a fossil-free future. A key topic of discussion was the potential of cellulosic fibers as fully bio-based, biodegradable alternatives in nonwoven applications such as wet wipes-13.

Clear, coherent policy signals—including possible updates to the Single-Use Plastics Directive—were identified as essential for investment certainty and broader market uptake. “Europe has set ambitious goals for a clean-industry transition. Our roundtable in Brussels showed that bio-based materials are not a future vision—they are a practical, scalable reality today,” said Georg Kasperkovitz, Member of the Management Board of Lenzing Group-13. Lenzing‘s specialty fibers, produced from renewable wood, offer lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to generic alternatives and are certified biodegradable and compostabl