From the Sector

Hygienix™ 2025 brought together hundreds of industry leaders to explore advancements in the absorbent hygiene and personal care markets during the 11th annual Hygienix™ event, held November 17-20 in Orlando, Florida. INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, announced Confitex Technology as the winner of the 2025 Hygienix™ Innovation Award™ for its groundbreaking Washable Nonwoven Sanitary Pads, recognizing exceptional innovation in absorbent hygiene materials, products, or technologies.

2025 Hygienix Innovation Award winner:
Confitex Technology – Washable Nonwoven Sanitary Pads
Making single-use reusable: As regulators, retailers and consumers move toward a greener future, a new category of washable AHPs is creating opportunities for the nonwoven industry. Confitex Technology has created and patented world’s first washable nonwoven sanitary pads designed for sustainability and scalability without the need for SAPs. Confitex Technology is leading Innovator and Private Label supplier. Their purpose is to transform the lives of millions and reduce the Earth’s landfill by creating the ultimate reusable AHPs.

Finalists Dukane – Curved Leg Elastic (CLE) and ZymoChem – BAYSE™ were also recognized for their significant contributions to advancing performance, sustainability, and consumer well-being in absorbent hygiene.

“The innovations presented this year demonstrate remarkable creativity and a clear focus on improving lives while advancing environmental stewardship,” said Tony Fragnito, INDA President & CEO. “The level of collaboration and innovation seen at Hygienix continues to raise the bar for our industry.”

Networking and Collaboration Across the Hygiene Value Chain
The 2025 Hygienix™ Conference fostered meaningful connections through multiple networking formats, including:

• Women in Nonwovens (WiN) Luncheon – Encouraging mentorship, leadership, and collaboration among women in the industry.
• Lightning Talks – High-energy, five-minute presentations from exhibiting companies.
• Evening Receptions & Exhibits – Showcasing breakthrough technologies and supplier capabilities across absorbent hygiene.
• Lunch Around with Olivia Ahn, MD, Co-Founder, Planera – Sharing her start-up journey and sustainability vision.
• Welcome Reception – An informal kickoff Monday evening connecting industry peers and innovators.

Program Content: Insights Driving the Future of Absorbent Hygiene
The conference featured a comprehensive technical program and three Pre-Conference Workshops on absorption systems, menstrual care innovation, and baby and infant care market dynamics.

Throughout the week, attendees explored presentations and panel discussions on:

• Circularity and sustainable materials, including bio-based fibers, PFAS-free chemistries, and flushable packaging.
• Regulatory, testing, and consumer trends shaping product design and market growth.
• New applications such as pet care, eczema-friendly testing, and private label innovation.

Speakers represented a global cross-section of the value chain, including Absorbent Hygiene Insights, BAHP, Cycleology, Euromonitor International, Kuraray Europe, Lenzing AG, ProVerde Environmental, SmartSolve, Soane Materials, Trützschler Nonwovens, Woolchemy NZ, and many others.

Industry Momentum and Strong Attendance
This year’s event was well-received by all attendees, drawing global participation from brand owners, converters, material and equipment suppliers, and entrepreneurs committed to advancing performance and sustainability in absorbent hygiene.

The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), representing the full spectrum of U.S. textiles from fiber, yarn and fabrics to finished sewn products, applauded the administration’s announcement today of plans to reinstate duty-free treatment for qualified textile and apparel goods from Guatemala and El Salvador under the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR).

National Council of Textile Organizations President and CEO Kim Glas:
“NCTO and our industry leaders have long been pushing for the reinstatement of duty-free treatment for qualified textile and apparel goods for our CAFTA-DR partner countries. We welcome the administration’s announcements about restoring these benefits for Guatemala and El Salvador and continue to press for a resolution for the other trade partners including Honduras, the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica, while acknowledging that the administration is conducting an extensive review under Section 301 of Nicaragua and their human rights violations under a separate track.

“We sincerely thank Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC-09), Rep. David Rouzer (R-NC-07), and many members of the House Textile Caucus for their leadership and efforts in helping reinstate duty-free benefits for CAFTA-DR countries in support of the domestic textile chain.  Today was a first great step and we want to thank President Trump, U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer, and the administration for this important decision. 

“The CAFTA-DR region forms a vital co-production chain with the American textile supply chain, facilitating $11.3 billion in two-way trade in 2024 and supporting more than 470,000 U.S. workers in the domestic textile sector alone. However, since reciprocal tariffs were imposed on qualifying CAFTA-DR trade, U.S. textile and apparel imports from our free trade partner countries have declined 8 percent year to date in 2025 through July, while U.S. imports from top Asian suppliers have increased by double digits.

“The restoration of duty-free status for qualified goods from El Salvador and Guatemala is a critical key first step for our collective industries.  Restoring duty-free textile and apparel qualified goods from the CAFTA-DR region is important to bolster the U.S. textile supply chain can help bring some stability to this critical sector. The U.S. -Western Hemisphere supply chains stand as a bulwark to China and other Asian countries. We look forward to working with the Trump administration and lawmakers to find a resolution that will restore duty-free treatment for qualified trade for this vital region.”