Flushable group label: toilet wipes enter a new stage
In recent years, nonwoven materials have flourished in the field of disposable hygiene and care products, and various products such as dry wipes, soft wipes, wet wipes, cotton pads, facial masks, breast pads, diaper pads, wipes, wet toilet paper, etc. have gradually been used in wiping, cleansing, makeup removal, toilet use and other application scenarios for consumer upgrading and product substitution.
Flushable nonwoven fabrics refer to nonwoven materials used in the production of consumer products such as paper products, sanitary napkins, and panty liners. They can be decomposed into fibers after contact with water and will not pollute the environment. The emergence of flushable nonwoven fabrics is to address the environmental pollution problems caused by traditional consumer products such as paper towels. The development of flushable nonwoven materials can reduce the negative impact of waste on the environment and protect the earth’s ecological environment.
Flushable products, such as toilet wipes (wet toilet paper), have good cleaning effects and consumer experience, and can be directly thrown into the toilet for flushing after use. They have been favored by consumers. Flushable products have the characteristics of being flushable and degradable, which are beneficial to ensuring the safety of urban underground pipelines and sewage facilities.
The “Toilet Wet Wipes” group standard jointly drafted by our company and many industry leaders was officially released in September 2024.
The standard clearly stipulates the raw materials, classification and labeling, technical requirements, quality indicators, test methods, inspection rules, labeling and packaging, transportation and storage of toilet wipes, providing manufacturers with clear technical guidance and production basis.
This standard classifies toilet wipes according to the flushability of the product. Among them, flushable toilet wipes can be marked with words or pictures on the sales package to indicate the flushability. Non-flushable toilet wipes should clearly indicate in the form of words or pictures that they “cannot be thrown into the toilet” in a conspicuous place on the sales package, and should not be marked with the words “wet toilet paper”.
Flushable toilet wipes are already quite popular in developed countries in Europe and America. In China, the penetration rate of flushable toilet wipes is still relatively low. Further research is needed in terms of product technology improvement, market awareness expansion, consumer habit improvement and user experience. The release of the “Toilet Wet Wipes” standard marks that the development of the toilet wet wipes industry has entered a new stage. It will encourage companies to increase R&D investment, improve product quality, and guide the industry towards standardization and branding.
At present, the test standard with relatively high attention and recognition in the world is the “Guidelines for Evaluating the Flushability of Disposable Nonwoven Wipes (Fourth Edition)” jointly developed by INDA (North American Nonwovens Association) and EDANA (European Nonwovens Association). This is a comprehensive test and evaluation guide for the flushability, clogging dispersion, decomposition and degradation of flushable nonwoven products in toilets, sewers and municipal systems.
The Flushability Assessment Guide (4th Edition) standard contains a total of 7 flushability-related tests. Only nonwoven products that pass all 7 tests can be called flushable products. The INDA/EDANA GD4 standard requires that flushable wipes must meet the performance requirements of 100% biodegradability and rapid dispersion in urban sewage systems.
The 7-step inspection steps of the flushability test system are:
2. FG502-Slosh Box Disintegration Test
Shake box disassembly test
3. FG503-Household Pump Test
Home Pump Test
4. FG504-Settling Test
Sedimentation test
5. FG505-Aerobic Biodisintegration/BiodegradationTests
Aerobic biodegradation/biodegradation testing
6. FG506-Anaerobic Biodisintegration/BiodegradationTests
Anaerobic biodegradation/biodegradation testing
In the actual application of flushable toilet wipes , the premise of flushability is rapid degradation. In other words, we cannot allow a large number of non-degradable products to enter the public sewage system simply for the sake of convenience and hygiene, which will bring operational and safety risks and even threaten the environment. Therefore, the raw materials are mainly natural or regenerated cellulose fibers. Cellulose fibers are widely found in the roots, stems, and leaves of natural plants. Whether they are naturally derived or chemically regenerated, their macromolecular structures are basically similar, thus ensuring degradability.
There are many factors that affect the flushability, such as the ratio of wood pulp fiber to viscose fiber, fiber length, number of spunlace passes, and ginning area ratio. Different cellulose fibers have different single fiber strengths and different oils, which will affect the dispersibility of the prepared pulp and products. In terms of flushability technology, as suppliers become more mature in the development of raw materials, the flushability performance (based on the structure tested by SLOSHBOX) is also constantly improving, ensuring that the functionality of the flushability is best utilized and the municipal system is unimpeded.
In order to help enterprises develop flushable disposable sanitary products that meet the standards better and more economically, Libao Company designs and provides flushable performance laboratories that meet the FG501-507 standards to help users conduct flushable tests including household and municipal use. Welcome to contact us~
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