Materials & sustainability
Material development, laboratory research and the components of absorbent products.
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From materials to suppliers
Explore manufacturers of materials and components for adult diapers and incontinence products, grouped by role and linked to official sources.
Stories and developments
Dated sources appear first. References with no confirmed publication date follow.
4 articles · 1 source link
Company HQ: NAGASE · Japan ↗
NAGASE · Material development
NAGASE describes a starch-derived biodegradable superabsorbent polymer designed for light incontinence pads. Samples and collaborative research or proof-of-concept work are available; the source does not announce its use in a finished product.
See the source for its stated scope and implementation stage.
Company HQ: Nippon Shokubai · Japan ↗
Nippon Shokubai · Supply certification · Company-published source
Nippon Shokubai announced on June 26, 2025 that US group companies had obtained ISCC PLUS certification for acrylic acid and superabsorbent polymers. The SAP certification concerns AQUALIC CA produced by Nippon Shokubai America Industries.
Certification of this supply route does not establish a measured biobased percentage in every individual SAP particle. The company’s net-zero carbon-footprint explanation includes biogenic carbon accounting; it is not a zero-emission claim for finished diapers or their disposal.
Company HQ: Nippon Shokubai · Japan ↗
Nippon Shokubai · Certified material supply · Company-published source
Nippon Shokubai announced on May 29, 2024 that its Indonesian subsidiary had begun manufacturing and marketing ISCC PLUS-certified acrylic acid, acrylates and SAP. The superabsorbent product identified in the release is AQUALIC CA.
These statements concern material sourcing and certification. They do not establish biodegradability or performance superiority for finished diapers. The release identifies disposable diapers as a SAP application without naming an adult-incontinence product using the certified material.
Company HQ: Sanyo Chemical · Japan ↗
Sanyo Chemical · Withdrawal and merger · Company-published source
Sanyo Chemical announced its decision to withdraw from the superabsorbent polymer business on March 25, 2024. It cited excess supply, stronger competition and deteriorating profitability in Asian SAP markets.
The decision and subsequent corporate action belong to different dates. Production stops, equity transfers and the later merger should be followed as separate steps. The disclosures describe group restructuring and do not provide a brand-by-brand assessment of downstream diaper supply.
Company HQ: Sumitomo Seika · Japan ↗
Sumitomo Seika · Sales and development report · Company-published source
Sumitomo Seika’s 2025 report says it began full-scale sales of a high-retention superabsorbent polymer in fiscal 2024. The company describes the material as allowing about a 10 percent reduction in SAP use in diapers.
The two stages should be distinguished: a product reported as commercially sold and a further grade still under development in the report. The reduction is the supplier’s claim, not a measured saving across all adult-diaper brands.
Background references
EDANA
EDANA outlines where nonwovens are used and names other components, including fluff pulp, superabsorbent polymer and backing films.
Read the original source ↗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 ↗EDANA
EDANA’s adult-incontinence composition reference, previously linked from the overview.
Read the original source ↗EDANA
A claim about one material or life-cycle stage does not describe the environmental impact of the whole product.
Read the original source ↗Continue exploring
These examples are selected routes to original information, not a ranking or a claim that a product is environmentally preferable. Company statements are attributed to their publishers.
