Confitex Technology has become the first company to win both of the nonwovens industry’s top honors, the INDEX Award and the Hygienix Innovation Award. The Auckland-based firm developed a washable nonwoven material for absorbent hygiene products like pads, liners and incontinence guards.
The breakthrough stabilizes nonwoven fibers so they survive machine washing and tumble drying more than 30 times. It also achieves strong absorbency without petroleum-based superabsorbent polymers. The resulting pads are up to 90% biobased.
Founder and CEO Frantisek Riha-Scott said the technology opens an entirely new product category. He compared the shift to the move away from single-use plastic bags, describing washable hygiene products that perform like disposables at mainstream price points.
Independent testing by Intertek found the pads match or exceed the absorbency of single-use equivalents. All raw materials are screened for PFAS chemicals, and products carry OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification.
The global absorbent hygiene market is valued around $123.5 billion. Reusable products make up less than 15% of that market but are growing at nearly 7% annually. EU regulatory pressure is pushing suppliers away from single-use plastics, and France recently introduced subsidies for reusable period underwear.
The INDEX Award jury noted that laundry-compatible nonwovens let manufacturers enter the reusable market, historically dominated by textiles, while improving absorbency and supporting sustainability through natural-based fibers.
Confitex Technology Executive Director Lisa Voyle said the company is partnering with global retailers and consumer goods companies to bring washable nonwovens to European and North American markets.
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