Professional Wipes Makers Go Natural

2024-11-17 21:47

As plastic bans become more widespread in the disposable wipes segment, manufacturers across many industries have been seeking ways to incorporate alternative raw materials into wipes. Aided by substrate suppliers, who are investing in new lines and existing line upgrades to allow them to create wipe materials from fibers like bamboo, cotton and cellulose, makers of wipes have been incorporating natural features for years. On the professional side, however, adoption has been slower due to formulation limitations. The active ingredients in harsher cleaning wipes have been widely considered to be too harsh on natural materials...until recently. New technologies have allowed suppliers of professional wipes to convert new substrates and the results are being noted on the market.

Disinfectant wipes are found everywhere throughout healthcare settings, from hospitals and clinics to nursing homes and home care. Staff members use these wipes to clean medical equipment, disinfect operating rooms between cases, clean public areas and much more. “These wipes are the epitome of a single-use plastic,” says Jonathan Fast, senior staff scientist, healthcare infection prevention North America, Ecolab. “You wipe a surface for five or 10 seconds and then throw it away. We’ve calculated that the disinfectant wipes used in North American healthcare facilities in one year would wrap around the globe 58 times.”

In response, suppliers of wipe materials to healthcare settings have been working to find an alternative to plastic materials for years. This has been boosted by increased awareness around sustainability and the pursuit of green initiatives by hospitals and healthcare providers.