The international nonwovens community came together once again in Geneva this week for INDEX™23. Attendees were delighted to see such a global presence, with 610 exhibitors from 43 countries showcasing their products over 50,000 m² of gross exhibition space. This represented a significant increase in exhibitors compared with 2021 and is a clear indication that the entire nonwovens industry is back in business. The number of attendees also increased, with 12,017 visitor entries from over 100 countries joining the event.

Open to products that were made commercially available by 31st January 2023, and selected by a jury of experienced industry peers, EDANA’s INDEX™ Awards for “Excellence in the nonwovens and related industries” are the highest accolade for distinction in the nonwovens value chain

Fransua Vytautas Razvadauskas, Senior Cities and Mobility Consultant at Euromonitor gave the keynote on the second day at FILTREX, which addressed the rate of transition to electrically powered vehicles. This is extremely relevant for the filter media industry, given the different nature of filters used in traditional combustion engines vs electrical ones. Despite many challenges that slowed down the roll-out of electric vehicles, such as cost and infrastructure for charging, a Euromonitor study predicts that by 2031, 50% of new passenger car registrations globally will be electric.

Around 100 filtration media professionals gathered in Berlin, Germany in November 2022, for a two-day conference on topics relating to filtration. The programme addressed issues from sustainability to testing and standardisation, as well as providing inspiring insights on future trends in the health and the automotive industries. Joe-Max Wakim the Vice Director of Health at The Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies, provided a keynote presentation on the importance of rebalancing health systems today to focus on preventative rather than curative healthcare. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic consumers today are increasingly aware of the quality of the air we breathe, which has a key impact on our health. As such filtration will only continue to grow in importance, as society looks to improve living and working conditions to ensure healthy lifestyles.