On December 18, 2025, the European nonwovens industry shifted from a defensive to a proactive stance following the conclusion of the EDANA Sustainability & Policy Forum in Brussels. The two-day summit at the Residence Palace served as a strategic war room for business leaders to navigate a shifting landscape of chemicals, waste, and climate due diligence.
The forum underscored a growing tension between the EU’s ambitious Green Deal objectives and the economic reality of European manufacturing. Leaders from Essity and EDANA emphasized, while the industry is committed to net-zero goals, legislation must remain proportionate.
A pivotal development from the forum was the consensus that circularity cannot be achieved by companies acting in ‘silos.’ Leaders from Lenzing, Indorama Ventures, and Freudenberg Performance Materials advocated for shared infrastructure and aligned policy frameworks across the textile and nonwovens value chains. Key technical discussions focused on the legal recognition of mass balance methodologies - a critical step for unlocking circularity in specialized sectors like medical packaging and healthcare textiles. By presenting credible, science-based data to the European Commission, the industry aims to ensure that ‘Technical Product Passports’ and recycled-content mandates are both achievable and beneficial for the European market.
The final day marked a rare direct engagement between the industry and the drafters of the Green Deal at the Conference Centre Albert Borschette. Through interactive workshops on the Waste Framework Directive and Single-Use Plastics Directive, participants gained first-hand insights into the ‘EU Toolbox’ of product policy. This ‘united front’ strategy is designed to demystify the legislative process, allowing manufacturers to contribute to the drafting stage of policies that will define the industry for the next decade. As the sector faces the rollout of the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), EDANA remains the central hub for aligning over 260 global members on a science-led path to circularity.
An international association representing the nonwovens and related industries, EDANA serves as the primary voice for over 260 member companies across the entire value chain, from raw material suppliers to finished product manufacturers in the hygiene, medical, automotive, and construction sectors.
