NIRI is at the forefront of sustainable nonwovens innovation

The global challenge

Sustainability is a global topic influencing and changing consumer behaviours and perceptions towards products, brands and industries worldwide

With the global production of plastics expected to double to about 640 million tonnes in the next 20 years, the negative environmental impacts and regulatory changes on the horizon mean full life-cycle thinking and innovation across the value chain is needed

Designing nonwoven products cognisant of their most likely end-of-life disposal route is now as vital as ensuring their performance in use

Prof. Stephen Russell , Group Technical Director

New material innovation and disposal and recycling infrastructural changes are required

Plastics play a crucial role in meeting the performance demands, safety and affordability of countless textile and nonwoven products used by society, but in general current methods of use and disposal are increasingly unsustainable, falling a long way short of what is needed to achieve aspirations of a zero-waste economy