Wiping materials and disposable hygiene products are important application fields of nonwoven materials. The consumption of nonwoven fabrics in this field accounts for approximately 30% of the total nonwoven fabric output in China. In recent years, the continuous innovation in the nonwoven fabric industry, from raw materials, processes to post-treatment technologies, has endowed disposable hygiene products with new functions, enhanced the consumer experience, and is meeting the personalized consumption demands of multiple application scenarios.
The market demand has been steadily increasing
The overseas market for disposable hygiene products such as diapers and sanitary napkins remains active. In 2024, the export value of disposable hygiene products in China reached 3.6 billion US dollars, increasing by 8.2% year-on-year. Li Guimei, the president of the China Association of Industrial Textiles (hereinafter referred to as "the Association"), introduced that in 2024, China's nonwoven fabric output was approximately 8.382 million tons, increasing by 2.9% year-on-year. This marked the first time since 2021 that both revenue and profit had grown. The revenue and total profit of large-scale enterprises in the industry increased by 3.2% and 11.9% respectively year-on-year. Among them, wiping materials and disposable hygiene products have made significant contributions to China's nonwoven fabric industry. In 2024, the export market for wet wipes in China remained vigorous, with the export value of wet wipes reaching 930 million US dollars, representing a year-on-year growth of 23.3% compared to 2023. The export volume was 661,000 tons, increasing by more than 40% year-on-year.
With the changes in China's population structure and the reshaping of consumption patterns, the market share of feminine hygiene products and adult incontinence products has steadily increased, the market share of nonwoven wiping materials has rapidly expanded, and the market share of baby diapers (pieces) has decreased year by year. Li Guimei gave a detailed analysis to the reporter of China Textile News on the profound changes in product structure and the market.
The market penetration rate of baby diapers in China is currently close to 85%. In recent years, the number of newborns has been decreasing year by year, and the growth rate of market demand has slowed down. The recovery of the birth population in 2024 will inject vitality into China's baby diaper market in the short term.
Although the market penetration rate of feminine hygiene products in China has reached saturation at present, technological innovation and environmental protection are becoming important driving forces for the development of the industry. The upgrading of female consumers' demands, the continuous segmentation of products, and the increasing application ratio of natural fibers and degradable materials will continue to drive the development of women's hygiene products in China towards quality and greenness.
The market penetration rate of adult incontinence products in China lags significantly behind that of developed countries and regions such as the United States, Europe and Japan. The main consumers are still concentrated among patients with moderate to severe incontinence, while those with mild incontinence generally have a low willingness to use them due to the influence of traditional concepts. With the continuous increase in the proportion of the population aged 60 and above in China, the expansion of the scale of the disabled elderly group, and the gradual release of policy dividends related to the development of the senior-friendly products market, adult incontinence products in China have entered a stage of rapid development.
The nonwoven wiping materials market in China remains active in terms of quality improvement, product innovation and application expansion. In addition to traditional wiping products, specialized sub-sectors such as toilet wet wipes, special wet wipes for down jacket cleaning, and anti-fog wet wipes for glasses, which are designed for specific usage scenarios, are constantly emerging. The products are also trending towards functionalization and diversification.
Li Lingshen, vice president of the China National Textile and Apparel Council, said that the silver economy has given rise to a trillion-yuan care market, the "Z generation" has reshaped a new paradigm of quality consumption, multilateral and bilateral economic and trade agreements have opened up international markets, and AI has driven the efficiency improvement of flexible production lines. Meanwhile, during the development of the industry, China has formed a complete industrial chain and technological innovation capabilities with comparative advantages, which have a positive and far-reaching impact on the global development of disposable hygiene products.
Technological innovation expands applications
The accelerated application of new technologies such as degradable materials, functional finishing, and intelligent processing has enhanced the quality and comfort of disposable hygiene products, promoting the industry's transformation towards green and intelligent development. From maternal and infant care and female care to areas such as elderly incontinence and medical care, the demand for portable travel suits and customized products is on the rise, and scenario-based solutions are continuously innovated. From technological breakthroughs to application expansions, Li Guimei expounded on the production processes and technological innovations of nonwoven hygiene materials in China in recent years.
In response to the problems of weak cleaning ability, poor application standardization and low intelligent production level, the key technologies for the industrialization of high-cleanliness and dispersible wiping products have solved the above problems. The industry has developed three groups of differential fineness wet spunlace nonwoven forming technologies and skin-friendly antibacterial base liquids, and constructed a wet barrier structure that balancing wet strength and dispersibility. And it has solved the problem of ensuring human safety and having natural long-lasting anti-corrosion at the same time; A double-layer stacking method with a 2.5-centimeter folding structure was designed, and the intelligent sealing integrated packaging technology was overcome, solving the industry problems of easy breakage and difficult storage in its application. The stratified liquid addition technology and the precise control system of liquid content rate were developed. Meanwhile, the inverted pyramid tension regulation technology and the collaborative optimization system were researched and developed, achieving intelligent and high-speed production.
Taking the production technology of disposable underwear forming and packaging as an example, this project has developed zero-tension conveying technology for elastomers, one-time forming of elastomers and inner linings, composite technology and devices, solving problems such as easy curling after material compounding. It pioneered the ultrasonic welding technology and device, solving the problem that it was difficult to balance the welding strength and softness of disposable underwear under the 3-millimeter - 5-millimeter lap edge. We have developed an integrated forming and packaging technology and device based on the pant body and the outer packaging body, reducing manual intervention in the production process and forming a complete set of efficient and clean processing technology. This project has formed a number of independent intellectual property rights and filled the gap in the industry.
In response to the current insufficient differentiation and functionalization of hot air products, the industry has invented the hot air forming technology of low curl ES fibers and the hot air - rapid cooling processing technology, and designed the fineness gradient structure of composite hot air nonwoven materials. We have developed a series of products such as soft, smooth and refreshing hot air nonwoven materials, "wrinkled skin" structure and off-core hollow fiber hot air deflector layer materials, and degradable hot air nonwoven materials. This invention proposes a new method for making the surface of the carding machine ultra-smooth, anti-corrosion and wear-resistant, and reducing fiber damage. It constructs the ultra-smooth surface structure of the carding machine, designs and develops a new type of needle fabric with a hot air nonwoven surface layer, and realizes efficient and low-damage carding of low curl and off-core hollow fibers. We have broken through the intelligent temperature control technology of hot air bonding equipment, solving the problems of poor uniformity, difficulty in rapid cooling and high energy consumption in wide-width high-speed hot air bonding, and achieving high-speed and low-consumption production of "wrinkled skin" structure hot air nonwoven materials.
Green leads sustainable development
The 0.5D fiber "Tangsi" series products we produce are lighter than clouds and softer than cotton, and can endow disposable maternal and infant hygiene products with extremely delicate care functions. When it comes to the role of cellulose fibers in the sustainable development of industrial textiles, Liu Hui, the director of the Product Research and Development Department of Tangshan Sanyou Group Xingda Chemical Fiber Co., LTD., said.
It is reported that the impact of microplastics on human health has received increasing attention. The production of wet wipes, sanitary napkins, diapers and other wiping and disposable hygiene products using regenerated cellulose fibers instead of chemical short fibers has become a development trend. The recyclable fiber series products developed by Tangshan Sanyou Group, using bamboo fiber and Lyocele as raw materials, feature ultra-short and dispersible properties. The disposable hygiene series products such as antibacterial and flame-retardant ones produced are light, tough, practical, green and safe. According to the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) native low-carbon certification, the carbon dioxide emissions of 1 kilogram of Tangsi EcoTang fiber are 2.83 kilograms, and that of Tangsi eco-friendly color fiber is 3.1 kilograms, both of which are far lower than the global average of 8.36 kilograms.
Green production processes and technological innovations in this field have also made considerable progress.
Li Guimei introduced that, centering on the core issue of controllable regulation of the flow-conducting performance of nonwoven composites, the "Key Technologies and Industrialization of Fixed-Guided Flow-Piercing Nonwoven Composites" project has developed a series of industrialized new technologies with independent intellectual property rights in terms of structural design and forming, efficient production equipment, and new product development. The project has overcome the structural design and forming technology of nonwoven materials with pure physical directional flow diversion, achieving controllable common directional flow diversion in the horizontal and vertical directions of nonwoven materials. An efficient multi-layer fiber web laying and water-saving spunlace device was invented, achieving efficient composite and water-saving production of fixed-guided flow-spunlace nonwoven materials. Innovatively designed a series of drainage sanitary products and achieved industrialization; A high-conductivity dry-wet separation wiping wipe was invented. After being pressed, the dry wipe is connected to the pure water tank and instantly absorbs water to expand into a wet wipe, solving the problem of easy bacterial growth in wet wipes without adding antibacterial agents from the source.
As of March 2025, a total of 60 certification units from 35 enterprises have obtained the "biodegradable" certification from the Nonwovens Green Development Professional Committee of the China Industrial Textile Association (hereinafter referred to as "Nonwovens Green Alliance"), and 9 certification units from 8 units have obtained the "dispersible" certification from Nonwovens Green Alliance. When it comes to the exploration of green and sustainable development in the industry, Li Guimei said that in recent years, the China Nonwoven Wiping Industry Association has continuously released the "Report on the Sustainable Development of China's Nonwoven Wiping Industry", promoting advanced experiences and typical practices, and making commitments to green development. It released the "Initiative for Sustainable Development of China's Nonwoven Wiping Industry", a comprehensive interpretation of the national standard for "Soft Towels", and an initiative for industry norms, fulfilling its social responsibilities.
In addition, the China Textile Industry Association has completed the sub-project of "Low-Carbon Development Technology Roadmap for the Nonwoven Fabric Industry" under the strategic research and consulting project of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, "Dual Carbon Development Strategy and Technology Roadmap for the Textile Industry", promoting pollution reduction and carbon emission reduction in the industry. Research and establish a "dual carbon" standard system in line with industry characteristics, release the "Technical Specification for Evaluation of Green Design Products - Spunlace Nonwoven Fabrics" standard, cultivate "green factories", promote "green product" design, promote green enterprises, green parks, and green supply chains, and carry out research and pilot demonstrations on energy management systems, etc. Through these efforts, promote the green and sustainable development of the industry.
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