As consumers continue to pay more attention to the ingredients used in a variety of nonwoven products, such as baby care, hygiene and feminine care products, demand is increasing at the brand level for more natural products and ingredient transparency. Materials like cotton, hemp and viscose are all well-positioned to be ideal fiber choices for these initiatives.

“Since we know that consumers are becoming more aware of what they are putting next to their skin, and when given a choice, they are more apt to select natural fibers like cotton,” says Jennifer Lukowiak, director, supply chain marketing, Cotton Incorporated. “Social media and influencers are powerful business accelerators – and when influencers place cotton products in the spotlight, highlighting their inherent natural, renewable, sustainable, biodegradable properties, it allows cotton to become a preferred choice in the market. Additionally, the regulatory environment that is moving companies away from single use plastic products makes cotton an ideal alternative in many nonwoven products.”

According to Jeff De Gruttola, vice president, sales and marketing at TruCotton, brands, and increasingly consumers, now clearly embrace the unbleached appearance of cotton in hygiene products. TruCotton fibers are proprietary, unbleached, mechanically cleaned cotton fibers—processed without water, heat, or chemicals—designed for applications that demand purity, authenticity and technical integrity. Already used in premium personal care wipes, institutional wipes and baby products, TruCotton offers both technical and ecological advantages, supported by verifiable claims that help differentiate CPG and institutional brands.

The fiber’s natural waxes make TruCotton inherently hydrophobic, positioning it as a high-performance alternative to synthetic fibers in wipes and hygiene applications requiring fluid management—such as topsheets, leg cuffs, acquisition and distribution layers (ADLs), and breathable backsheets.

Some of the brands already using TruCotton include Kudos® baby diapers, Hiro™ diapers and wipes, Cobi™ dryer sheets, Sontara^® EC Green Cotton industrial wipes and RAAN^® wipes. These partnerships highlight TruCotton’s versatility in delivering performance, purity and transparency across a range of demanding applications.

RAAN baby wipes, launched earlier this year, were among the first wipe products to bear the natural cotton seal, which is reserved exclusively for products made entirely of cotton—offering unmatched softness, hypoallergenic benefits and premium quality.

The wipes brand was founded by CEO Vanessa Menache, with the aim of creating a wipe that’s not only safe for their families but also genuinely sustainable. RAAN is about transparency—no plastic, no harsh chemicals, no greenwashing—just clean, effective care.

“RAAN came out of a real need—both in my own life and among friends (including my co-founder) who were deep in the chaos of parenting,” says Menache. “We were all using wipes on a daily basis—for diaper changes, post-workout freshening up, during travel, or to wipe down the dog’s paws. Wipes had become an everyday staple, but when I started digging into the ingredients and materials used in most leading brands, I was shocked. Many are made with synthetic fibers, processed with harsh chemicals, and often marketed with ‘natural’ claims that don’t hold up.”

In fact, it was RAAN’s high standards when sourcing materials that ultimately led it to TruCotton.

“It was essential for us to source a fiber rooted in U.S.-grown, highly sustainable practices—and with TruCotton’s unmatched purity, performance, and one of the lowest carbon footprints of any fiber available, the choice was clear,” Menache says.

According to Lukowiak, baby wipes, diapers and feminine hygiene are just some of the products leading the way for expanded cotton use. Cotton Incorporated has licensed 350 companies to use the Seal of Cotton on a wide range of nonwoven products. Technology advancements, coupled with research and development, are continually advancing ways to implement more sustainable materials into manufacturing. Cotton is suited to be an important renewable ingredient within the nonwoven market where the fiber can be used to produce a wide range of substrates and products. “Companies understand that they must deliver product quality that meets their customers’ expectations,” she adds. “Manufacturers successfully produce cotton nonwoven products, both technically and economically, to meet the market needs.”

Last month, natural diaper brand Cottonsie launched a diaper that replaced plastic with 100% breathable cotton in key layers including the topsheet, backsheet, acquisition and distribution layer and the core wrap. With its revolutionary, patent-pending technology, Cottonsie has delivered a plant-based diaper that is comparable to reusable cloth diapers in terms of natural fibers and breathability, but with the convenience and performance of disposable diapers.

According to the company, cotton is a natural, breathable fiber that supports a drier, healthier microclimate that can minimize the incidence of diaper rash. While the diaper still uses some synthetic materials to optimize performance, the majority of the diaper is plant-based—and 82% of it biodegrades within just 18 months—setting a new benchmark for sustainability in disposable diapering.

“Plastic diapers are clogging our landfills and leaching toxins into the environment,” says Nicole Richards, founder and CEO of Cottonsie. “We created Cottonsie to give parents a real alternative: a high-performance, comfortable diaper made mostly from natural, biodegradable materials—and priced accessibly for everyday use.”

Purocel’s Pivotal Role

Birla Purocel plays a pivotal role in the global nonwovens industry as one of the largest producers of viscose fibers, with one of the widest portfolios of cellulosic fibers compatible with diverse nonwovens technologies and end-use applications. Recognized globally for its leadership in sustainability, Birla consistently ranks among the top in responsible fiber production. Its strong R&D capabilities drive continuous innovation, ensuring it stays ahead of market demands. Moreover, it has cultivated long-standing and trusted relationships with leading nonwoven substrate manufacturers worldwide, positioning it as a reliable partner of choice.

“The nonwovens industry itself is experiencing rapid growth, driven by several key factors. Hygiene and medical nonwoven products have become integral to everyday life, with rising consumer awareness,” says Rahul Bansal, head of nonwovens at Birla. “The industry’s agility in innovating to exceed consumer expectations continues to open new avenues of application. Additionally, a persistent focus on reducing environmental impact is prompting value chain stakeholders to invest in more sustainable materials and processes, further accelerating growth.”

Birla has significantly enhanced its fiber offerings to better meet the evolving requirements of nonwoven processes. One key achievement is the ability to enable viscose fibers to run at production speeds exceeding 300 meters per minute in 100% viscose spunlace blends. This milestone is a result of continuous quality improvements and process optimization.

Uniquely, Birla is possibly the only global supplier capable of offering short-cut fibers in both viscose and lyocell formats for flushable wipes. These fibers are precisely engineered to provide the right balance of dispersibility for wetlaid processes, strength for usage and optimal flushability — addressing both performance and environmental concerns. In addition, it has developed a wide range of functional cellulosic fibers, including flame retardant, anti-microbial and hydrophobic variants, designed to meet the needs of diverse and demanding applications.

Purocel Ecodry represents a significant technological advancement in Birla’s portfolio of nonwoven fibers. Its multiple variants are tailored to meet the specific requirements of various fem care hygiene brands. Extensive product testing across different design configurations has demonstrated strong performance. However, while the product is well-positioned for the market, the broader transition to plastic-free absorbent hygiene products has been gradual. This pace is largely dependent on regulatory momentum, which is yet to fully materialize in many regions. That said, Purocel Ecodry remains a future-ready solution, ready to support brands in achieving their sustainability goals as regulatory frameworks evolve.

As the industry shifts decisively towards plastic-free nonwoven products, man-made cellulosic fibres such as viscose and lyocell have emerged an alternatives to conventional synthetic and natural fibers. These fibers strike a unique balance by combining high sustainability credentials, scalable availability, excellent process compatibility, and consistent quality.

“Our Purocel range, comprising both viscose and lyocell fibers, is specifically engineered for nonwoven applications and has earned top positions in sustainability benchmarks such as the Canopy Hot Button ranking,” Bansal says. “Compared to natural fibers like hemp or cotton, Purocel products offer superior processing efficiency on nonwoven lines and greater versatility in functional customization, making them the preferred choice for manufacturers and brands alike in the growing sustainable market.”

Hemp Doesn’t Hurt

Since 2018, when the farming and cultivating of hemp became legal in the U.S., processing advancements have  made the natural-based fiber suitable in nonwoven applications ranging from durable airlaid products like grow mats and chicken coop nets to construction products and more recently wipes and fem care items.

According to Gregg Gnecco, brand and project manager, IND Hemp, advancements in the fiber truly start in the field. “We grow the crop and we contract with local farmers and  invest in genetic development where we create our own strands,” he says. “The true quality and consistency of the supply chain truly comes from the field. What you are growing and how you are growing it. This yields consistency. We can give you two trucks three months apart that are the same.”

IND Hemp is located in Fort Benton, MT, where it can process four tons of raw straw per hour. During the past seven years, the company has focused on defining specifications for its hemp fibers and named the different grades of fiber to better communicate to the consumer what each grade has to offer. “We felt everyone had a different idea of what the grade is—the system was not specific enough.”

IND Hemp’s three grades, bronze, gold and platinum, range from a harsher grain hemp product ideal for airlaid materials to a product that is slightly more open and used in batt insulation to the highest performing fiber based on the European standard. In this fiber, called platinum, a biological process allows enzymes to break down the pectin in the hemp to bind the fibers and make them more fibrous and suitable for personal care applications, among other things.

Most recently, IND Hemp has taken the processing one step further through a mechanical refining step that “cottonizes” the hemp through washing or scouring. “This gets the fiber to the point where it acts, touches, feels and behaves enough like cotton that you can blend it with cotton,” says Gnecco. “Once you get to this step, you can spin it into textiles and use in spunlace for items like wipes.”

IND Hemp recently partnered with the Nonwovens Institute at NC State and Southeast Nonwovens to run trials of hemp-based wipes for baby and other applications.

“The wipes opportunity is a good one,” he says. “We are commercially ready and we have proven the process. We will use our research and developments dollars test the materials so a potential customer doesn’t have to start from scratch.”

Based in Wichita Falls, TX, another hemp supplier, Panda Biotech, can process 150 million pounds of industrial hemp annually across a number of categories including a mechanically-cottonized fiber textile grade hemp that has been successfully spun to produce 50/50 hemp/cotton textile-grade yarn for denim, canvas and twill and mechanically-cottonized fiber (nonwoven-grade) that has a variety of applications such as needlepunch and airlaid products for acoustic and thermal insulation batting, as well as replacement for fiberglass products used in construction and automotive industries. Additionally, Panda Biotech’s clear reprocessed short fiber is used in the production of wet wipes and has potential for other similar personal care and hygiene products in the cellulosic pulp industry.

These market areas have been opened up to hemp thanks to recent advances in process technology in fiber opening, blending and ultimately carding with similar synthetic fibers to produce lightweight spunlace materials from 50-120 gsm, says vice president, sales, Jason Johnson.

The advantages of hemp fiber include its lightweight nature, strength, carbon-neutral value, and sustainability and circularity benefits, he adds.  “It also has impact resistance, reinforcement, super absorbency and moldability, is biodegradable and has unique tensile strength.”

Already, hemp-based products have appeared on store shelves. Earlier this year, Hempress Hygienics, a next-generation period and personal care brand that is committed to harnessing the power of hemp to make sustainable and intentional hemp-based personal care products mainstream, has launched its initial product line, which includes the market’s first 100% organic hemp and cotton-based day pads, night pads, liners, swabs, cosmetic pads and silicone menstrual cups.

“We’re so excited to introduce consumers and retailers to the power of hemp via our intentional and sustainable product line,” says Hempress co-founder and CEO Marilyn Austin. “Our goal is to create a positive impact with products that will transform, but not disrupt people’s preferences and routines. We recognize that consumers prefer disposable personal care products and are proud to have created sustainable, disposable alternatives that prioritize both user health and that of the environment.”

Meanwhile, within the construction market, Sun Valley, ID-based  Hempitecture has shifted its supply chain for its hemp-based construction materials to a U.S.-based manufacturing effort after the cultivation of industrial hemp became federally legal in the U.S. Since then, the company has continued to see opportunities in the U.S. market.

Located in Jerome, ID, Hempitecture’s facility became the first nonwoven manufacturing plant of its kind in the U.S. in 2023.

Most recently, the company introduced Fiberpad, a natural fiber carpet and wood floor underlayment material that can help reduce sound transmission as well as increase thermal comfort in floor systems. It’s sold as a nonwoven roll good material and is installed similarly to conventional carpet underlayments, but with a high percentage of natural fibers. Founder Mattie Mead says this innovation in low loft roll goods has inspired a new segment beyond construction, including erosion control, growing media and geotextiles.

“We’re continually developing value-enhanced products,” he says. “This includes improving fiber characteristics and fiber blends and identifying different materials that can create high-performing, low-carbon material products. Beyond building materials, we’re always open to innovating for other industries, leveraging our technology and supply chain to help decarbonize additional sectors.”

Mead is optimistic that demand for sustainable construction materials will continue to grow. Already, sales have grown 80% year-over-year from 2023 into 2024.

“The writing is on the wall that natural fiber materials and nonwovens will see greater market adoption in the U.S.,” Mead says.

Wool is a Winner

A New Zealand-based company is applying the benefits of wool, such as odor control and dryness, to hygiene products. Woolchemy recently released a white paper assessing the performance of neweFlex, a proprietary, high performance acquisition and distribution layer (ADL) material in applications such as diapers, feminine hygiene products and incontinence items. Woolchemy developed and evaluated the wool-based ADL with support from an independent research institute specializing in nonwovens innovation. neweFlex was found to deliver notable performance improvements across the major applications for hygiene.

Diapers with integrated neweFlex ADL were subjected to thermal comfort assessments over multiple liquid insults and compared with a standard petroleum material-based diaper. Tests were conducted by a Michigan Public Research Laboratory where a baby heated manikin was employed in accordance with an adapted test standard ASTM F1291. The thermal comfort was assessed using multiple temperature and humidity sensors located in different places on a baby manikin. Diapers were repeatedly insulted with liquid (80 ml) in 120 minute intervals between insults, simulating diaper use over an extended period of time (eight hours in wet state). The main results across all four sensors and thermal camera data confirmed that diapers made with neweFlex were overall more stable and consistent in reducing temperature fluctuations between liquid insult periods compared to diapers made with petroleum-based ADL.


Woolchemy’s proprietary material is made from ethically sourced, traceable New Zealand wool, processed to meet stringent hygiene regulations. For the first time, the science of wool—proven in categories like clothing for odor control and thermal regulation—has been successfully translated and applied to consumer needs for disposable hygiene products where it offers a sustainable alternative.

“Woolchemy’s innovative approach to wool-based materials brings a refreshing and much-needed new alternative in the hygiene industry,” says John Poccia, principal of Poccia Consulting. “Their ADL technology stands out for its ability to deliver impressive moisture management, comfort and unique benefits from wool-based materials, while providing a natural, biodegradable alternative to traditional synthetics.”