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INDA's WOW forum to focus on sustainability & COVID impact on wipes

03 Jun '21

3 min read

Pic: INDA

The World of Wipes (WOW) international conference by INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, will deliver latest insights on sustainability and focus on COVID impact on wipes consumption and cleaning habits. The conference, to be held from July 12-15, 2021, in Atlanta, will deliver timely consumer insights and material science developments.

As travel and in-person events return, the industry association is looking forward to welcoming attendees to WOW 2021 for face-to-face programme content, training, meetings, table-top exhibits, and networking. Emerging from COVID-19, the conference will provide wipes product managers, converters, buyers and suppliers with the latest research and insights from experts on how to move ahead and seize future opportunities, INDA said in a press release.

Sustainability will be a key theme of WOW 2021 with sessions focused on such relevant topics as plastic-free trends, biodegradable wipes, fossil fuel-based fibre reduction, single-use plastics, and more. Presentations include Wipes and the Growing Plastics Debate, Sustainable Packaging and Dispensing for Wipes, and Nonwovens Substrates for More Sustainable Wipes.

With cleaning, sanitizing, and safety being at the forefront during the pandemic, experts will tackle what the latest trends mean for the wipes market, particularly with the increased importance of disinfecting wipes in providing protection and consumer confidence in shared spaces. In the session, Consumer Wipes Usage During the COVID Pandemic and What the ‘Next Normal’ May Look Like, Christopher Dresselhuys, business director, North American retail wipes, Rockline Industries, will present research and survey results on changing consumer wipe buying behaviours, according to INDA.

In the session titled ‘Wipes, Cleaning and COVID: What Have We Learned Through the Pandemic?’, Brian Sansoni, senior vice president, communications, outreach and membership, The American Cleaning Institute (ACI), will discuss ACI’s 2021 National Cleaning Survey and talk about how the pandemic may change consumers’ views and future use of cleaning products.

Jason White, associate research fellow, The Clorox Company, will share the company’s response to increased demand for disinfecting products that created supply issues, requiring quick decision making by Clorox to maximise the availability of these products to help consumers protect themselves during the pandemic in the session, ‘Challenges and Tough Decisions in Pandemic Response’.

In other relevant WOW 2021 sessions, experts will dive deep into trends in the wipes markets and among consumers. In the session, ‘Understanding the State of the Nonwovens Wipes Industry and a Market Gone Mad’, Brad Kalil, director of market intelligence and economic insights, INDA will present a pre-pandemic view of the nonwovens markets, the current state, and a look into the future. In the session ‘I&K Cleaning Wipes: Market Statistics and End User Insights’, Laura Mahecha, industry manager, I&I cleaning products, Kline & Company, will share insights on the Industrial and Institutional (I&I) cleaning products market, INDA said.

In the session, ‘Consumer Wipes: Look at the Post-COVID World’, Svetlana Uduslivaia, head of research, Euromonitor International, will reveal an updated forecast for consumer wipes globally, the latest innovation trends across wipes categories and the latest retail channel dynamic. In the session ‘Growth and Demand of Canister Wipes Converting Lines in the US and Around the Globe’, Jay Roth, director of sales, Elsner Engineering Works, will share insights on how the COVID crisis has impacted the business of converters and co-packers.

WOW 2021 will also feature the WIPES Academy training; three days of cutting-edge conference program content; two days of table-top displays; presentation of the WOW Innovation Award and the INDA Lifetime Technical Achievement Award; plus, a welcome reception and a myriad of other networking and socialising opportunities.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (GK)

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