Registration is expected to surpass last year’s participation. © INDA

Material developments, preservatives, sustainability, market data, international tariffs, and plastics in the environment are among the premium topics to be presented to wipes brand owners, converters, and their entire professional wipes supply chain at INDA’s 13th edition of the World of Wipes (WOW) International Conference, which takes place from 24-27 June in Atlanta, GA.  

Registration is expected to surpass last year’s participation that connected 470 senior wipes professionals from 22 countries. The 13th edition of WOW offers four value-packed days combining relevant technical and educational content with business engagement opportunities.

Presentations

Wendy Warner, PhD, VP Global Specialties, HH&S Division, Berry Global, will present trends and solutions for minimising infections in healthcare, industrial manufacturing, and consumer and building services.

Jan O’Regan, Director, Nonwovens Marketing, Cotton Incorporated, will share recent market research, including economic and demographic data, into market similarities and regional differences in baby wipes and diapers from consumers in eight countries.

Jonathan Layer, Business Development Manager, Americas, Fibertex Nonwovens, will explore insights in consumer perceptions, expectations, trends, and market data in sustainable materials driving profitable opportunities and positioning for wipes.

Jessica Franken, Director of Government Affairs, INDA, will detail international trade issues impacting our industry including the trade war with China, the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill, duties on polyester staple fibres, the NAFTA agreement, bilateral free trade agreements and more.

Brad Kalil, Director of Market Research and Statistics, INDA, will present the latest wipes market outlook, highlighting population trends and the impact of the Echo Boom.

Helmut Lauterbach, Business Manager, Kelheim Fibres, will explore a new specialty fibre made with 100% renewable materials that solves the problem of viscose fibres inhibiting wipes function when used with certain disinfectants.

Lisa Morden, Vice President Safety and Sustainability, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, will share insights into how Kimberly-Clark reduces greenhouse gas emissions and diverts post-consumer waste from landfills to repurpose into useful products, and creates a more circular model for their products with an eye to a sustainable future.

Erik Mak, VP, Marketing, Nox Bellcow Cosmetics Company, will explain how regional preferences and consumer habits in Asia are driving innovations in product development, ingredients, and product categories for global growth.

Carla McBain, Specialty Coatings and Ingredients Technology Director, OMNOVA Solutions, will detail a new technology platform for use with different and multi-fibres to enhance properties and substitute substrate components without impacting performance.

Doug Cole, VP, Global Product Development, Rockline Industries, will present atypical systems and approaches to wet wipe preservation that align with safety, efficacy, and compliance with global regulations to protect the future of this category.

Andress Johnson, Technical Manager, Personal Care & Household, Thor Specialties, will reveal the impact of various global regulations affecting the range of viable preservatives for household and personal care as well as industry initiatives to help mitigate concerns over preservatives.

Thomas Weigert, Director Application Technology, Jutta Stehr, Senior Marketing Manager, Trützschler Nonwovens Man-Made Fibers, and Kai Poehler, SM Application & Business Development Specialty Paper, Voith Paper, will explore a new technology for making greener wipes from renewable resources as a solution to recent directives from the EU regarding single-use plastics.

World of Wipes Innovation Award

Among the highlights of WOW 2019 is the prestigious World of Wipes Innovation Award. The award recognises a product or technology innovation within the entire wipes value chain that expands the use of nonwoven fabrics and demonstrates advancements in creativity, novelty of approach, uniqueness, and technical sophistication.

Nominees are selected from a broad range of industry categories including raw materials, roll goods, machinery, converting, packaging, lotions, active ingredients, binders, additives, and end products. Three finalists will be chosen to present their innovation at WOW 2019 with the winner announced on 27 June. INDA is currently accepting nominations through 8 March.

www.worldofwipes.org