18-21 April 2023
Geneva - Switzerland
INDEX™ the world’s leading nonwovens exhibition
Tutorial
Thursday 20 April 15.00 – 16.00: Nonwovens Tutorial
Marines Lagemaat, Scientific & Technical Affairs Director – EDANA
This free one-hour nonwovens tutorial is intended as an induction to nonwovens for those new to the industry, or anyone who will use or work with nonwovens and would like to find out more. If you have already followed this course and would like to improve your knowledge, please visit our Training Courses page to find out more about the extensive training programme that EDANA offers.
Seminars
The seminars are a series of discussions and presentations, during which speakers tackle current challenges affecting the nonwovens value chain, and propose innovative solutions.
While advance registration is not required, we recommend that you arrive early in order to secure a place, as space is limited.
The programme for the INDEXTM23 seminars is available to download on the right hand side of this page and also listed below.
Tuesday 18 April
13:30 – 15:30: The sustainable future of medical nonwoven
Wednesday 19 April
10:30 – 12:00: Sustainable use of geosynthetics
13:30 – 14:00: Fair and sustainable trade: how does WTO help business at times of crisis
14:30 – 16:00: Textiles and nonwovens, a sustainable future!
Thursday 20 April
10.30 – 12.00: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion in the Nonwovens Industry
13.30 – 14.30: Nonwovens are essential for the mobility transition
Tuesday 18 April
13:30 – 15:30: The sustainable future of medical nonwoven
It is estimated that by 2030, disposable medical clothing will contribute to approximately 1 million tons of plastic waste in Europe. The incineration of disposable medical clothing leads to GHG emissions and fossil-based resource depletion. What are the alternatives ?
In this session we will explore if mechanical or chemical recycling schemes are able to treat contaminated waste. We will review the learnings from the first recycling pilot trials. We will discuss risks and opportunities in the context of the European Green Deal. Finally, we will discuss what it will take to scale up solutions for medical nonwoven circularity programs across hospitals.
Moderator: Christel Dendas, ESG Strategy Advisor - The Circular Future
Presentation 1: Challenges to go circular for the medical nonwoven industry - Robert Garcia, Application & Product Development Director | EMEIA Hygiene & Healthcare, Nonwovens - Berry Global
Presentation 2: Challenges and opportunities in sustainable healthcare - Pontus Lindstedt, Strategic Sourcing Manager - Mölnlycke
Presentation 3: Collaborating for sustainability and innovative solutions - Jelena Bozovic-Vukic, Global Marketing Manager Hygiene, SABIC
Presentation 4: How to make the circularity of medical nonwovens more efficient? NHS case study - David Scheeres - Director - Thermal Compaction Group
We would like to extend an invitation to join us for a short debrief session immediately afterwards. During this session, we aim to collect initial feedback and thoughts about the potential initiation of a Medical Nonwovens Working Group. Please confirm your intention to join this debrief meeting here.
Wednesday 19 April
10:30 – 12:00: Sustainable use of geosynthetics
Presentation 1: Sustainable use of geosynthetics in mega projects in civil and geo-environmental engineering - Daniele Cazzuffi, IGS Past President – CESI
Over the last 60 years the use of geosynthetics has increased in civil, geotechnical, and geo-environmental projects around the world for a variety of functions.
In more recent decades their use instead of, or in partial combination with, natural materials – such as gravel, sand, clay, and so forth – emphasized their crucial role in terms of sustainability, circular economy, and in the light of the dramatic climatic change issues.
Examples of the following applications from exceptional projects will be briefly shared:
- Dams and reservoirs
- Tunnels and underground structures
- Reduction of snow/ice melting in glaciers
Presentation 2: Circular economy: opportunities and limitations presented by recycling nonwoven geotextiles - Francesco Fontana, Geosynthetics Consultant - A&B
The environmental impact of geosynthetics must be assessed according to their desired performance, rather than simply their weight. Using recycled polymers to produce nonwoven geotextiles can play an important role in ensuring a circular economy.
Key points to be addressed include:
- The contribution to the performance of the whole project
- The desired durability of the structure in which the geosynthetic is incorporated
- The probability of microplastics being released
Wednesday 19 April
13:30 – 14:00: Fair and sustainable trade: how does WTO help business at times of crisis
Bernard Kuiten, Head of External Relations - World Trade Organization
This presentation will focus on:
- the major challenges that confront businesses when they trade
- the growing importance and relevance of sustainability in trade and doing business
- what the WTO can do to help companies navigate these challenges
Wednesday 19 April
14:30 – 16:00: Textiles and nonwovens, a sustainable future!
This seminar will feature short presentations followed by a panel discussion.
Presentation 1: Effectiveness of textile fibres recycling - Mark Croes, Consultant Hygiene and Medical - Centexbel
- The mapping of textile recycling activities and technologies
- The economic and environmental aspects of the textile recycling technologies
- Some options to advance textile-to-textile recycling
Presentation 2: Circular pioneers in Textiles - Heidi van den Hul, Business Development Textiles and Nonwovens – fabriCreation
- Showcases of circular pioneers in the Netherlands
- Recycling integral part of the business model
Presentation 3: Opportunties for nonwoven due to textile recycling - Alexandre Butte, General Manager - ANDRITZ Laroche & Business Development Director - ANDRITZ Nonwoven / Benoît Rombaut, Technical Director - Andritz Laroche / Marie Watier, Circular Projects Manager - Les tissages de Charlieu
- Introduction of an innovative and future pilot unit
- Automated sorting technology for textile circularity & sustainability
- Recyclable textiles for nonwovens production
The following topics will be discussed during the panel discussion:
- Which recycling processes are already available for creating nonwovens from textile waste?
- What are the bottlenecks and opportunities?
- Market outlook for post-consumer use for recycled textiles following the extended producer responsibility
- Innovative solutions
Thursday 20 April
10.30 – 12.00: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion in the Nonwovens Industry
The importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace is crucial, but it is an element that has historically been overlooked. In recent years, it has gained traction, and this seminar will look at examples of how players in the nonwovens industry are addressing DEI to ensure both diversity within their own workplace, as well as within their respective supply chains.
Split into two panels, the seminar will welcome speakers from Freudenberg, Johns Manville and Procter & Gamble.
The first panel will address DEI more broadly, with a focus on gender equity. The second panel will feature women working in manufacturing and tackle the gender bias around the role that women can play in manufacturing in the nonwovens industry and beyond.
Moderator: Allyson Zimmermann, CEO, LEAD Network
Speakers Panel 1:
- Katja Hibschenberger, HR Business Partner Corporate Service Companies, Human Resources, Freudenberg
- Stefan Mohr, Director European Affairs, Johns Manville
- Federica Pompei, Senior Vice-President & General Manager for Feminine Care Europe, Procter & Gamble
Speakers Panel 2:
- Dr. Katharina Ellmer: Director of Innovation and Expert, Freudenberg
- Monika Nagl, Spunbond Group Plant Manager Europe, Johns Manville
- Ana Elena Marziano, Chief Purchasing Officer, Procter & Gamble
Thursday 20 April
13.30 – 14.30: Nonwovens are essential for the mobility transition
Presentation 1: Nonwovens will continue to play an essential role in the expansion of electro mobility, the digital economy, and future energy storage demands - Ian Dowdle, Sales / Operations leadership - Hollingsworth & Vose
The presentation will cover the application of nonwoven technology to enable:
- Safety and Security of e-Mobility
- Data storage demands of the digital infrastructure
- Digital commerce
- Smart grid
Presentation 2: Nonwovens in fuel cells: role of 3D architecture of the structure - Siddharth Shukla, PhD Student - Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
- Delving into the integral role of nonwovens as gas diffusion layers (GDLs) in fuel cells
- Unravelling the 3D structure of nonwoven GDLs and its impact on their wettability and compression behaviour
- Applicability of the basic principles of stereology in the quantification of structural heterogeneities of nonwoven GDLs
Product presentations
Companies presenting the latest insights on their products and services.
For more info, visit: INDEX™ the leading nonwovens exhibition