Kelheim Develops Sustainable Women’s Period Innerwear
Kelheim Fibres and Gebr.Otto will showcase their joint concept aimed at making women’s period innerwear high performance and more sustainable at Techtextil 2024.
The two companies will showcase a solution for period innerwear made from biobased materials, distinguished by performance metrics at the BW-i joint stand and the IVGT joint stand in Hall 12.1.
The various specialty viscose fibres used in this solution are sourced from Kelheim, while Gebr.Otto expertly spins them into the appropriate compositions.
“On average, a woman consumes about 15,000 hygiene products in her lifetime, primarily disposable items that generate significant waste,” a Kelheim Fibres press release said.
“Their plastic components take up to 500 years to decompose, breaking down into smaller and smaller pieces over time,” the company added.
The trend towards making female hygiene products, both disposable and reusable and more sustainable has been growing in recent years.
This category includes not only biodegradable disposables but also washable period panties offered by established lingerie manufacturers and innovative startups.
The solution is akin to solving a puzzle, considering that period innerwear is constructed from multiple layers with different functions and so topsheet must quickly absorb and divert liquid away from the body.
While the subsequent acquisition-distribution layer (ADL) ensures rapid and optimal distribution of the liquid within the absorbent core, which then encapsulates the liquid, preventing potential leakage.
With the optimal combination of Kelheim’s specialty fibres and Otto’s perfectly matched yarn types, the two innovation partners have solved this puzzle.
“The result is a prototype that outperforms conventional solutions in terms of liquid absorption speed, capacity, and rewet values,” the German based fibre manufacturer informed.
