The INDEX™26 Awards winners have officially been announced, highlighting some of the most innovative developments across the global nonwovens industry — from sustainable materials and advanced hygiene solutions to breakthrough machinery technologies.
Congratulations to all the winning companies and teams driving the future of nonwovens forward.
Winners by category:
1. Nonwoven Roll Goods
Lenzing – LENZING™ Dualwipe
LENZING™ Dualwipe is a high-performance cleaning wipe crafted from regenerated cellulose using LENZING™ Nonwovens Technology. Its innovative dual-surface design integrates abrasion and absorbency in a single material, enabling efficient cleaning without relying on fossil-based synthetic materials, binders, or chemical additives. One side features a mechanically active surface for scrubbing away dirt, grease, and residues, while the other offers a soft, highly absorbent surface for liquid uptake and surface finishing. Designed for industrial, professional, and household applications, LENZING™ Dualwipe is compatible with existing converting and processing infrastructure, facilitating rapid adoption.
The jury praised LENZING™ Dualwipe for addressing the pressing industry challenge of combining performance with sustainability. By leveraging a novel web architecture of cellulose filaments, it eliminates plastics and microplastics while delivering high-efficiency cleaning. The innovation demonstrates how fiber-level design can create tangible environmental impact without compromising functionality, offering a scalable, market-ready solution that aligns with both regulatory and consumer demands.
2. Finished products made from, or incorporating nonwovens - Single-use application
Corman - Organyc brand "Personalized Protection" Light Incontinence Pads
Corman’s new light incontinence pads deliver personalized protection through three key innovations. The Smart-Cotton™ cover with a citric acid buffer maintains an ideal skin pH of 5.5, reducing irritation. The patented Cotton-Balanced Absorbent Core channels liquid to superabsorbent polymers that lock in moisture and expand toward the body for superior leak protection. Natural odor control uses an organic ingredient to bind ammonia and slow odor formation, eliminating odor instead of masking it. Clinically proven, the pads address the three main concerns of light incontinence: leaks, odor, and skin irritation.
The jury recognized the product for its consumer-focused innovation, combining skin-friendly materials, adaptive absorption, and effective odor control in one solution. The patented absorbent core was highlighted as a market-first technical advancement. Supported by clinical evidence, the product enhances comfort, confidence, and dignity for users. Its impact is amplified by the brand’s sustainability initiatives, including reducing ocean plastics and improving livelihoods through the Plastics for Change partnership, demonstrating both social and environmental responsibility.
3. Finished products made from, or incorporating nonwovens - Durable application
Confitex Technology - Reusable Nonwoven Bed Pads
This new Confitex technology has enabled the world’s first machine-washable and tumble-dryable nonwoven bed pads, opening a significant new application for nonwoven materials. Using a proprietary fibre-stabilisation bonding technique, the innovation allows absorbent nonwoven structures to withstand more than 30 machine wash and tumble-dry cycles while maintaining performance. The fully nonwoven construction combines a fast-wicking top sheet with a highly absorbent core capable of holding over two litres of liquid. In addition, a bonded frame structure prevents leakage across the entire surface, including the edges, addressing a common weakness of stitched textile bed pads.
The jury particularly valued how this innovation unlocks a new market segment for the nonwoven industry. By making absorbent nonwovens fully laundry-compatible, the technology enables nonwoven suppliers to enter the rapidly growing reusable bed pad market, historically dominated by textile products. At the same time, the product delivers improved absorbency, leak protection, and ease of care for users, while supporting sustainability goals through reusability and the use of predominantly natural-based fibres.
4. Raw materials or components of special relevance to the nonwovens and related converted products industry
Bostik - Kizen™ Miles 9.0
Bostik’s latest innovation, Kizen™ Miles 9.0, is the first adhesive designed for disposable hygiene article construction, that offers the unique feature of debonding on demand: when exposed to a specific chemical key, combined with controlled temperature and mechanical stress, the adhesive allows clean, rapid separation of plastic components in minutes. This process keeps the adhesive material on the substrate, preventing contamination for cleaner, more efficient hygiene article recycling. But during the lifetime of the hygiene article, this new material, based on up to 75% renewable materials, delivers exceptional bonding across a wide range of substrates—including PP, PE, and PLA—while maintaining stable performance over time and under wet conditions.
The jury praised Kizen™ Miles 9.0 for its combination of sustainability and functionality. By reducing carbon footprint by up to 90% per kilogram of adhesive (compared to fully fossil based adhesives, according to internal Bostik calculation) and enabling separation of complex hygiene article components, it addresses a critical bottleneck in diaper recycling. Its ability to maintain performance during use yet allow controlled disassembly after use was recognized as a breakthrough in circular economy solutions for absorbent hygiene products.
5. Innovation in machinery of special relevance to the nonwovens industry
ZUIKO - Converting machine for recloseable baby diapers
ZUIKO has developed a converting line to produce adjustable pull on pant diapers that address the challenge of achieving a secure fit around a baby’s waist and legs while maintaining softness and stretchability. The design of such a diaper combines the adjustability of open diapers with the stretch characteristics of pant diapers. Unlike conventional pant diapers, which are processed symmetrically, ZUIKO’s recloseable diapers are asymmetric, requiring a precise, glue-less attachment process during folding. Central to the production is ZUIKO’s patented “Stretch Re-pitch Drum™,” which regulates elastic tension and product spacing, allowing panel folding in line with the machine’s flow. This system enables the production of over 700 diapers per minute without the need for multiple folding units.
The jury recognized the technical ingenuity of ZUIKO’s approach, particularly how the machine merges two product attributes efficiently. They highlighted the asymmetric folding and tension-control mechanisms as practical solutions to a long-standing industry challenge. The innovation offers a new product format for consumers and provides manufacturers a method to produce it at scale without added complexity.
