Virtual Conference to Shine Light on Nonwoven Innovations
Lubbock, TX, March 31, 2021 – Nonwoven textiles are integral components of life saving surgical masks, N95 face masks and different PPEs. The state of the nonwovens sector during the current pandemic, innovations in the sector and its contributions to counter future pandemics will be discussed in a virtual nonwovens conference May 4-5, 2021, as part of TAPPICON 2021 – an event of the Technical Association of Pulp and Paper Association (TAPPI).
The nonwovens conference will begin with a keynote presentation on the industry’s response to COVID-19 by Dave Rousse, President of the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry Association (INDA). The highlight of the program is a power-packed panel session on “Preparing for Future Pandemics and PPE” involving key leaders in the industry, including Karen Bitz-McIntyre, Editor of Nonwovens Industry magazine.
The event will bring leading organizations such as TAPPI and INDA together to discuss the state of the sector and innovations in nonwovens and technical textiles.
“While the pandemic has taught us many things over the last year, one of the most significant has been the sizeable role nonwovens played in ‘stopping the spread,’ both in the healthcare community and beyond,” said Larry Montague, TAPPI President & CEO. “Whether we’re talking about face masks, filters, various Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) or wipes, the industry was – and still is – on the frontline of this fight providing lifesaving protection.”
Dave Rousse, President of INDA, stated, “The nonwovens industry really stepped up in a responsible way to rapidly fill the need for facemasks, disinfectant wipes, flushable wipes, and medical gowns, booties and nets needed to push back against COVID-19. We are now essentially self-sufficient in these areas after being reliant on imports as the pandemic started, with much new capacity added that will serve these needs, as well as emerging needs in indoor air quality.”
To create more awareness on nonwovens and welcome newcomers to the field, one session will be dedicated as a mini tutorial on technical textiles and nonwovens. A few key themes of the conference include medical applications of nonwovens, novel materials for PPE, and functionalization of nonwovens and textiles.
The conference features presentations from leading industry and academic leaders. A timely presentation on the recent advances in spunmelt nonwovens will be delivered by an industrial expert. Novel solutions to microbial problems will be covered in a presentation by ViaClean Technologies. International speakers from India, the United Kingdom, Turkey and the United States will deal with topics like design aspects of coveralls and nanofiber filters, to name a few.
In talking about the importance of creating more awareness on nonwovens in the fight against infectious diseases, Gaurav Pranami, Chairman of the Nonwovens Division of TAPPI, said, “Other than social distancing, perhaps the single most important precaution one could take to protect themselves and others was to wear a mask. However, it’s the masks made from nonwovens that provide meaningful protection because of their high filtration efficiency. With the experience of COVID-19, the nonwovens industry must innovate to make more comfortable, effective and easily accessible masks for future preparedness.”
New developments from the cotton industry such as cellulosic films and daylight-induced antiviral coatings will be discussed. The event will end with a presentation on the state of the wipes sector from Euromonitor.
