02 / Product layers
Explore absorbent pulp, superabsorbent polymers and absorbent nonwovens, distinguishing products from material research.
Explore companies by the region of their headquarters.
Research, public-sector sources and items without confirmed headquarters remain under All. References are not filtered.
Related stories and sources
Selected for their discussion of this layer or its materials. Product descriptions and material research are identified separately.
8 articles · 1 brief
Company HQ: BASF · Germany ↗
www.basf.com · Research facility · Company-published source
BASF announces a facility that evaluates superabsorbent polymers and diapers, including adult-incontinence applications.
A research facility includes adult-incontinence applications.
Company HQ: Stora Enso · Finland ↗
Stora Enso · Investment plan · Company-published source
Stora Enso announced on June 17, 2026 that it would invest €19 million to increase fluff-pulp production at Skutskär, Sweden. It expects approximately 10% more capacity, bringing the mill’s fluff capacity to 440,000 tonnes a year, with completion planned for the fourth quarter of 2027.
The same announcement separately discusses closure of the L3 softwood-pulp line. That closure and the fluff investment concern different production changes. The investment timetable is a plan, not evidence of completed expansion.
Company HQ: Corman · Italy ↗
www.edana.org · Award announcement · Organization source
The same product account describes a cotton-based absorbent core that directs liquid towards superabsorbent polymer.
An award account; it is not independent verification of environmental or clinical performance.
Company HQ: Essity · Sweden ↗
www.proteus-cbe.eu · Research and development · Organization source
The PROTEUS project describes development of seaweed-based absorbent material for hygiene applications.
Material development; not confirmed adoption in a finished adult product.
Company HQ: Ontex · Belgium ↗
ontex.com · Product announcement · Company-published source
Ontex describes a Y-shaped absorbent core in Sensitive Pants. This is a manufacturer product announcement.
The listed material and core features concern Sensitive Pants; do not generalise them to every product in the range.
Company HQ: Ontex · Belgium ↗
Ontex · Product description · Company-published source
Ontex announced on June 17, 2025 that it was bringing the iD Discreet incontinence range to European healthcare partners, including pharmacies, medical-supply outlets and care facilities.
The announcement extends technology already used in retail products into healthcare channels. It is not evidence that the technology had never appeared before, or independent confirmation of the company’s performance claims.
Company HQ: BASF · Germany ↗
BASF · Material offering · Company-published source
The company combines renewable energy with a biomass-balance approach at its Antwerp site in Belgium. It identifies the material as ISCC PLUS-certified and describes it as a replacement that does not require changes to diaper production lines.
The zero-footprint statement concerns the material under the company’s calculation approach. It does not mean that manufacturing, using and disposing of an entire diaper produces no emissions. The release does not name an adult-care product that has adopted this grade.
Company HQ: Evonik · Germany ↗
Evonik · Business sale completed · Company-published source
The business included three German production locations and two in the United States, with around 1,000 employees. Evonik identifies the powdered polymers as absorbent materials used in diapers and other hygiene products.
The figures describe the existing business transferred in August 2024 and include diaper and other hygiene-material applications. Adult-only capacity and sales are not broken out. The release is an ownership update rather than a finished-product announcement.
Company HQ: HARTMANN · Germany ↗
HARTMANN · Product description · Company-published source
HARTMANN’s pharmacy information dated February 2025 describes a change to SkinGuard absorbent cores in MoliCare pads and pants, alongside more compact packaging.
This is a short introduction to the company’s product-change notice. Company comparisons are not independent clinical evidence. Individual item codes and start dates are not reproduced where the PDF table cannot be read reliably.
Background references
EDANA
EDANA describes the role of superabsorbent polymer in absorbing and retaining liquid. It is a material reference, not a comparison of finished products.
Read the original source ↗Unicharm / Lifree
Unicharm says the absorbent paper in this RefF product contains recycled pulp. The same page describes recycled manufacturing offcuts in the package.
Read the original source ↗HARTMANN / MoliCare
HARTMANN describes a recycled cellulose absorbent core in MoliCare Bed Mat Eco. This example concerns a bed-protection product, not a wearable diaper.
Read the original source ↗Continue exploring
One article may discuss several layers. These are links to the same published article, not additional studies or evidence of environmental superiority.
