World of Wipes® International Conference Expected to Draw More than 400 Attendees July 12-15 in Atlanta

• Wipes and the Growing Plastics Debate – Moderated by Janet O’Regan, Director, Nonwovens Marketing, Cotton Incorporated, this timely topic will be covered in two sessions. First, Anna Gergely, Director, EHS Regulatory, Steptoe & Johnson LLC will speak on Recent Developments Under the European Union (EU) Green Deal and Plastics Strategy and provide an update on the impact of the pandemic. Gil Stevens, EDANA’s External Relations and Sustainability Director will speak on the European Single-Use Plastic Directive. Jean Francois De Gruttola, Business Development Director, Americas, Europe, Middle East, and Africa, Lenzing Fibers Inc., will look at the aftermath of the EU Single-Use Plastics (SUP) directive.

• Government Affairs Update – Facilitated by O’Regan, Jessica Franken, INDA’s Director of Government Affairs, will present Policy Update: 2020 Was a Mess. What’s Next in 2021?  
• The Confusing World of Regulations Impacting the Disinfecting and Sanitizing Wipes – Both sessions will be moderated by Jeff Slosman, President, National Wiper Alliance Inc. Tony Herber, Principal Regulatory Consultant/Assistant Federal Team Manager, Scientific & Regulatory Consultants, Inc. will bring his expertise on the FDA and EPA regulations and confusion with Canadian rules. Andrea Mojica, Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, Antimicrobial Products and Cleaning Products Association (HCPA), will discuss Emerging Pathogens, Disinfection Versus Soap and Water, and Manufacturers’ Concerns. Matthew Schiering, Chief Marketing Officer, Contec, Inc. will talk about food contact wipes.

Part two will feature John Hebert, Branch Chief, Environmental Protection Agency, on COVID-19’s Impact on the EPA’s Labeling and Claims Rules; and David Steinberg, President, Steinberg & Associates, on Antiseptics – The Past, the Present and the Future.

• Trends in the Wipes Market and Among Consumers – Jonathan Layer, Business Development Manager Americas, Birla Cellulose/Multifibres and Yarns (USA) Inc. will moderate. Speakers include Brad Kalil, INDA Director of Market Intelligence and Economic Insights, on Understanding the State of the Nonwovens Wipes Industry and a Market Gone Mad; and Laura Mahecha, Industry Manager, I&I Cleaning Products, Kline & Company will discuss I&K Cleaning Wipes: Market Statistics and End User Insights. Also, Svetlana Uduslivaia, Head of Research, Euromonitor International, will explore Consumer Wipes: Look at the Post-COVID World and Jay Roth, Director of Sales, Elsner Engineering Works, Inc., will speak on Growth and Demand of Canister Wipes Converting Lines in the U.S. and Around the Globe.
• Innovation in Wet Wipe Preservatives – Moderated by Robert Johnson, Principal, Smith, Johnson & Associates, this session will feature presentations on Wipes Don’t Go Moldy… Do They? by Heidi Beatty, Chief Executive Officer, Crown Abbey, LLC and Unveiling Wet Wipes Preservation: New Findings on Microbial Risks and Novel Preservative Solution Created by Rational Design presented by Paul Salama, Ph.D., CTO and Head of Innovation, Sharon Laboratories.
• COVID-19 Impact on Wipes Consumption and Cleaning Habits – Roth of Elsner Engineering Works will lead the discussion. Experts presenting are Christopher Dresselhuys, Business Director, North American Retail Wipes, Rockline Industries, on Consumer Wipes Usage During the COVID-19 Pandemic and What the ‘Next Normal’ May Look Like; and Brian Sansoni, Senior Vice President, Communications, Outreach and Membership, The American Cleaning Institute, on Wipes, Cleaning and COVID: What Have We Learned Through the Pandemic? Also, Jason White, Research Fellow, The Clorox Company, will share the company’s challenges and tough decisions in its pandemic response.
• Sustainable Packaging and Dispensing for Wipes –John Poccia, President, Poccia Consulting, LLC, is the moderator. Topics are Creating Value Through Dispensing by Douglas Kretchmer, Chief Executive Officer, The Green Edge Inc.; and Sustainability Impacts Across the Value Chain of Wipes Packaging by John Wilson, Director Marketing and Sustainability, Amcor Flexibles North America. Speaking on Sustainable Packaging Options for Wet Wipes will be James Harvey, Director of Market and Product Development, ColorMasters LLC, and Carl Cucuzza, President/Managing Partner, Teknoweb NA LLC.

The full day of insightful and relevant programming will wrap up with tabletop displays and a reception.

• Nonwoven Substrates for More Sustainable Wipes – This in-depth session will be led by Kyra Dorsey, Ph.D., Product Development Manager, Suominen. Discussing Sustainable Solutions for Wipes will be Vishal Bansal, Ph.D., Vice President, Innovation, Glatfelter, and Silke Brand-Kirsch, Vice President, Marketing and Business Development, Glatfelter. Plastic Free Wipes – A Natural Concept will be tackled by Richard Knowlson, Principal, RPK Consulting, and Cotton Incorporated’s O’Regan. Among the other compelling issues that will be covered areHemp Fibers in Nonwovens – Ready for The Big Time? by Paul Latten, Director of Research and Development and New Business, Southeast Nonwovens, Inc.; Sustainable Hygiene Products and Single-use Items – Are there Eco-friendly Alternatives? by Lothar Kaierle, Vice President Sales Nonwovens, American Truetzschler, Inc.  Also,Sustainable Wipes Based on Synthetic Substrates by Piyush Thakre, Ph.D., Research Scientist, Dow, Inc.
• Flushable Wipes: Loved by Consumers, Wrongly Accused by Utilities – INDA’s Rousse will lead this session and speak on Flushable Wipes: Some Rays of Light Emerging. Also featured will be Franken of the association talking about State Flushability Developments. Lara Wyss, President, Responsible Flushing Alliance, will tackle the question of to flush or not to flush and present on FlushSmart Responsible Flushing Alliance’s public education campaign.