04 | 2008

Fibers | Textiles
Love’n Ingeo sanitary
napkins (W.I.P.)
Ingeo Fiber
Revolutionizes the
Nonwoven Sector
Article contributed by Eamonn Tighe,
European Fibers Business Development
Manager, NatureWorks LLC
Ingeo weedblock fabric by Easy Gardener
The nonwovens industry is at the forefront in creating
products that surround every aspect of the way we
live, often touching our skin with products like cosmetic
wipes, baby wipes, diapers and medical textiles, so
it is a specific, often single use application that needs to
take care of the materials being used, where hypoallergenic
properties, softness and also moving liquids are key attributes
considered in the selection of raw material used.
Added to that the disposal issues related to many of
the standard nonwoven products used everyday, and the
need for more research and more options on how this is
facilitated in the future is obvious.
So with performance, lifestyle choices and environmental
issues each playing their part in the nonwovens industry,
Ingeo is now the new raw material of choice that is perfectly
placed to address each of these needs in turn. Ingeo
biopolymer (PLA) is made from 100% annually renewable
plant resources, and as such provides a more responsible
way of manufacturing nonwoven products that come into
contact with consumers’ skin. This is in part the motivation
to choose Ingeo products over conventional oil based ones.
At the same time, these products must be able to satisfy
on a performance level while maintaining a respect for
environmental concerns too.
Ingeo is a pure and natural based innovation that emits
less green house gases in production. It has outstanding
water transport properties and outperforms PET fabrics for
breathability, comfort and insulation. Products made from
this biopolymer are hypoallergenic, showing no evidence
of skin sensitization and have a natural resistance to
26 bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/08] Vol. 3