Nonwovens for society
- Description
- Fees & practical info
- Previous edition
The EDANA Innovation Forum is designed to be more than a conference; it will be an immersive experience including visits and inspirational activities focusing on innovation across all nonwovens' applications.
The aim of this Forum is to gather an interdisciplinary group of young academics, start-ups, researchers, scientists and nonwovens professionals across all sectors. A tabletop exhibition will be organised together with the conference to maximize networking and business connections.
It explores the significance of innovation for nonwovens and what it entails. While innovation is typically associated with Confidential Business Information, partnerships can be the key to success.
The Forum features presentations from experts on innovative products, materials, and technologies from across all nonwovens applications. The programme also includes an excursion to a very innovative venue and allow plenty of time for discussion and networking.
They loved it!
“The gathering was an invaluable opportunity for networking, learning and envisioning the future of nonwovens. As we continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible, events like these are crucial for sparking the ideas that will shape our industry’s products and solutions. Exciting times are ahead of us!”
Lancelot Woolley, Global R&D Director, Fibertex Nonwovens.
“What I really like is that people are coming from all over Europe and beyond to share their expertise, research, insights, and best practices for the nonwovens market. They share this valuable information with each other, so you can really see open innovation in action happening right here at the event,”
Joachim De Vos, Co-chair & Managing Partner, Living Tomorrow, TomorrowLab
“The content of the presentations was very well selected; however, what makes EDANA events come to life are the motivational and inspirational people that participate. One of my highlights was the start-up pitches, where I was able to connect with three of the entrepreneurs to offer help or maybe even start projects with. I’m looking forward to the next edition already!” noted Bernhard Awolin, a business consultant and speaker at the
The EDANA Innovation Forum is a new event that evolved from the combination of the International Nonwovens Symposium (INS) and the Nonwovens Innovation Academy (NIA). All information about the INS and NIA can be found below.
Practical info
Location
More info about the location for the 2025 edition will follow soon.
Previous edition
Innovation Forum Draws to a Close with Key Message: Innovation Remains Essential to Ensure Nonwovens Are Future Fit
Last week, the EDANA Innovation Forum, a new event formed from an amalgamation of the International Nonwovens Symposium (INS) and the Nonwovens Innovation Academy (NIA), was held in Munich, Germany. This one-of-a-kind new event drew in over 110 participants from 78 companies and 22 countries, making it a truly global gathering.
“Our aim was to create a platform for the nonwovens community to explore the latest technical innovations and gain insights from external speakers and start-ups. I'm delighted to share that, based on the positive feedback we've received, we successfully accomplished this goal,” expressed Murat Dogru.
Featuring over 20 speakers across three days, the presentations addressed topics such as the increased use of cellulosic fibres in hygiene products, particularly wipes, cellulose-based thermoformable durables, and the use of nano fibrillated cellulose to improve the performance and footprint of nonwovens in composites. There were also papers on improving polyolefins' carbon footprint, additives' developments, and processing PP/PLA bico fibres.
In the roundtable sessions, experts from Dupont and Freudenberg shared valuable insights with the audience on their respective innovation strategies and how these companies have kept their products – Evelon and Tyvek – future-fit. Following their introductions, the presenters moderated roundtable discussions, inviting participants to share their experiences.
Overall takeaways from this motivational programme included:
- Innovation is a crucial part of staying relevant and ensuring your company is future fit.
- Nonwovens products and services serve a functional need for society, but how that need is met has evolved over time due to sustainability and other considerations. Despite this, innovation remains essential to ensure that our industry can continue to fulfil its purpose.
- The keynote speeches shared valuable lessons on the need for incremental innovation rather than ‘new’ (adjacent) and disruptive innovations. This message was further emphasised during the visit to Unternehmertum an innovation hub in Munich.
“It is true these days that innovation often focuses on improving the sustainability profile of existing products, making the two fora interrelated. However, they are designed to serve different audiences. The Sustainability Forum provides insights on the regulatory and product stewardship perspectives of sustainability, while the Innovation Forum addresses the technical work needed to meet those changing expectations,” added Marines Lagemaat, Scientific & Technical Affairs Director at EDANA. Read more...
