INDA president Tony Fragnito provided an update on the formation of the Global Nonwovens Association (GNA) at Hygienix. The boards of directors of INDA and EDANA  approved the formation of the Global Nonwoven Alliance (GNA) in June and have agreed to become its founding members.  

By aligning strategic resources and deepening collaboration, the GNA will provide a unified and coordinated approach to the key opportunities and challenges facing the global nonwovens industry. The alliance is designed to accelerate innovation, improve operational efficiency, expand international reach, and foster long-term industry growth—all while strengthening the services and support delivered to members at both regional and global levels. 

The inaugural board of the GNA was established in September with split representation between INDA and EDANA.

EDANA president Murat Dogru has been appointed CEO of the GNA. INDA will be led by a regional executive director who will likely be hired by the end of the year and will report to Dogru.

“This was all a part of the plan,” says Fragnito. “I will continue to support the formation of GNA but we are recruiting an executive director of INDA to be my replacement.”

Fragnito stressed that GNA will not replace INDA and EDANA. The associations will continue to support the regional needs to their respective markets and focus on regional issues. The GNA will provide the nonwovens industry a table where it can focus on global issues.

“We have already begun outreach to the Asian market to engage in project initiatives that are already underway,” he adds. “We are still at the beginning of recognizing GNA’s potential and map out what projects we can take on.”