As consumers’ preference for natural ingredients and overall environmental awareness increase, the use of plant fibers and bio-based ingredients in disposable hygiene products continues to expand, while global anti-plastic regulations are also restricting the use of petroleum-based plastics. Environmental protection is not just a slogan. Many brands have begun to pay attention to the sustainability of their products and launched renewable and environmentally friendly products, truly achieving “green health”.
Planera launches first flushable sanitary napkin
According to statistics, in the UK, 56% of menstrual products end up in landfills, and the processing of disposable sanitary products generates 200,000 tons of waste each year, which may take up to 500 years to degrade; 30% of menstrual products are flushed away, producing approximately 3.4 tons of microplastics, most of which end up in waterways; the remaining 14% is burned in incinerators, causing air pollution.
Planera in the UK has chosen a different sustainable development route and developed Fluus, a flushable sanitary napkin made of cellulose. It is the first batch of certified flushable sanitary napkins on the UK market. Fluus sanitary napkins have passed the flushability certification of the Water Research Center (WRC) and the WIS 04-02-06 test to ensure that they will not clog the sewer system. At present, some domestic companies have also developed flushable sanitary napkins.
The disposal process for standard menstrual care products is complex, but once flushable, the force of the flushing toilet and the drainage system will take the broken sanitary napkins to a water treatment center where they will be broken down into plant fibers and biodegradable materials so they can safely pass through the screen and be converted into biogas and fertilizer, thus achieving a circular product life cycle without leaving permanent waste such as microplastics, chemicals, etc.
How can a product be truly flushable?
For flushability, it must first meet certain processing adaptability and reliability. Flushability does not mean that it will scatter when thrown into the toilet, but that after being damaged by hydraulic impact, it will not accumulate in a certain place and cause pipe blockage.
The fourth edition of the Flushability Assessment Guidelines requires that nonwoven products must pass a seven-step basic test and be labeled before they can be called flushable products.
\\ Flushability test system
It is used to test the flushability and biodegradability of disposable sanitary nonwoven materials, whether they meet the requirements of being thrown into the toilet after use, being rapidly decomposed under the action of hydraulic flushing, being discharged through the drainage pipe, not causing serious sieving phenomenon, and being able to degrade in feces. It serves as the basis for the production process control of flushable materials and the final product testing.
7 steps in the flushability test system
The 7-step inspection steps of the flushability test system are:
1. FG501-Toilet and Drain-Line Clearance Test
Toilet and sewer clearance testing
2. FG502-Slosh Box Disintegration Test
Shake box disassembly test
3. FG503-Household Pump Test
5. FG505-Aerobic Biodisintegration/Biodegradation Tests
Aerobic biodegradation/biodegradation testing
6. FG506-Anaerobic Biodisintegration/Biodegradation Tests
Anaerobic biodegradation/biodegradation testing
7. FG507-Municipal Sewage Pump Test
Municipal sewage pump testing
\\ Flushable performance shaking decomposition box
Libao’s LB502 Flushability Shaking Decomposition Box is designed according to INDA and EDANA’s FG502 standard to test the decomposition performance of products when subjected to physical shock in water or wastewater.
Flushable performance shaking decomposition box
Applicable standards:
FG502.R1(18)
TestIWSFG 2018
GB/T40181
The shaking decomposition box can test three samples at the same time, the oscillation speed and test duration can be freely set, and the shaking test can be automatically completed, reducing manual intervention and improving the reproducibility of test results.
Baby diapers and adult incontinence products
In terms of sustainability, innovation in the baby diaper space has been well developed over the past decade. Honest Company focused on sustainability and ingredient transparency when it first launched its diapers in 2012. Since then, many diaper brands, big and small, have also refined the raw materials used in diapers and innovated with different plant-based materials such as sugarcane and bamboo.
Consumers of absorbent hygiene products have more choices than ever before, with products containing not only plant-based fibers but also naturally biodegradable fibers such as cotton, rayon, hemp and bamboo viscose. This trend is even more prominent in incontinence products. The choice of baby diapers, menstrual care and adult incontinence care products continues to grow, with new brands launched every year, continuing to redefine the absorbent hygiene category.
\\ French SGS absorption performance and leakage analysis system
Using a simulated human body model to simulate lying down, sitting, walking and moving, the performance of baby diapers, feminine hygiene products, and adult incontinence products during use is evaluated, especially the absorption capacity and speed before leakage occurs.
Absorption performance and leakage analysis system
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Feminine hygiene products
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Adult Incontinence Supplies
\\ Infant Warming Manikin Test System
Provides product thermal resistance and moisture resistance, thermal comfort/thermal sensation testing methods, and evaluates the breathability and heat dissipation performance of diapers.
Standards compliant:
ASTM F1291, ASTMF 2370
ISO 15831, ISO 9920
GB/T 18398, GB/T 39605
The use of nonwoven materials will continue to maintain strong momentum in 2023 as consumers continue to rely on convenient baby diapers, feminine care products and wipes in various formats. Legislative bodies around the world are working to increase the distribution of menstrual care products in public restrooms, and the flushable wipes market is also expanding.
Creating a circular economy for disposable hygiene products remains an important topic for the nonwovens industry. Whether it is creating a recycling system for disposable products, developing products that use more environmentally friendly materials, or creating a disposal system that helps products biodegrade, manufacturers are looking at solutions for how to deal with disposable products.
Read the original article: Environmental protection and convenience coexist: British Planera launches flushable sanitary napkins
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