Berry Global, headquartered in Evansville, Indiana, has announced its second investment in the nonwoven wipes segment in 2021, to support the long-term consumer behaviour shift towards infection prevention amplified by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The company will invest over $110 million in new spunlace technology to make nonwoven materials for products such as hard surface disinfectant wipes in Europe.

The European impregnated wet wipes segment for home cleaning and disinfecting was growing at a rate of five per cent up to 2019, but the pandemic has led to a heightened focus on sanitation and personal hygiene for infection prevention.

“We strategically partner with many of the world’s leading wipe materials brands, ensuring our investments align with demand,” said Curt Begle, president of Berry’s Health, Hygiene and Specialties Division. “The reliability of our capacity and scale are paramount to our customer support and the trusted relationships we wish to maintain.”

The new line will add to the company’s existing spunlace platform, further expanding its sustainable wipes portfolio. It will incorporate the production of biodegradable and recycled nonwoven substrates, increasing Berry’s capacity in Europe by more than 300 million square metres. Product from the line is expected to be commercially available in the September quarter of 2022.

www.berryglobal.com