DiaperRecycle has been awarded the RISE Innovation Award for its innovative technology to recycle used diapers into absorbent and flushable cat litter, at the 12th edition of RISE — Research, Innovation & Science for Engineered Fabrics conference.

The annual award recognizes innovation in areas within and on the periphery of the nonwovens industry that use advanced science and engineering principles to develop unique or intricate solutions to problems and advance nonwovens usage.

By diverting used diapers from households and institutions, and separating the plastic and fibre, DiaperRecycle strives to decrease the climate-changing emissions of diapers from landfills.  “I am thrilled and grateful to win this award — as it proves we are on the right track,” said Cynthia Wallis Barnicoat, CEO of DiaperRecycle.

Other award finalists included Binder BioHook by Gottlieb Binder GmbH & Co. KG and Sero hemp fibres from Bast Fibre Technologies, Inc. (BFT).

INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, and The Nonwovens Institute, North Carolina State University co-organized the event, which ran from 27-28 September at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina.

More than 20 industry, academic, and government experts from across the globe presented technical developments in sessions focused on circularity and sustainable inputs from such sources as Polylactic Acid Polymers (PLA), natural fibres, biofibres, and waste products. Participants called the conference thought provoking with outstanding speakers.

Highlights included presentations on Achieving Supply Chain Circularity, by Kat Knauer, Ph.D., Program Manager – V Research, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, NREL; The Global Plastic Crisis: Winners/Losers in the Marketplace, by Bryan Haynes, Ph.D., Senior Technical Director, Global Nonwovens, Kimberly-Clark Corporation; Sustainable Fibers – Development and the Future by Jason Locklin, Ph.D. Director, University of Georgia – New Materials Institute; PLA & PLA Blends: Practical Aspects of Extrusion by Behnam Pourdeyhimi, Ph.D., William A. Klopman Distinguished Professor, and Executive Director, The Nonwovens Institute, North Carolina State University; and Mitigation of Quat Incompatibility with Cotton and other Cellulosic-based Substrates, by Doug Hinchliffe, Ph.D., Research Molecular Biologist, USDA-ARS.

The 13th edition of RISE will be held from 12-13 September 2023 at North Carolina State University in Raleigh.

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