On September 9, 2026, New Zealand materials technology company Woolchemy and Austrian fiber giant Lenzing Group announced a partnership to jointly develop a new bio-based material for hygiene products.
This innovative material ingeniously combines New Zealand wool with wood-based bio-fibers, aiming to replace the plastic components found in traditional diapers and feminine hygiene products.
The core outcome of this collaboration is a patented acquisition and distribution layer (ADL) named neweFlex. In the structure of a diaper or sanitary pad, the ADL is the critical component responsible for rapidly wicking fluid away from the skin and distributing it evenly, directly determining the product's dryness. neweFlex combines Woolchemy's hygiene-grade wool with Lenzing's Lyocell fibers and incorporates Lenzing's proprietary "Lyocell Dry" technology. This creates a purely bio-based alternative to the fossil-based materials currently widely used in the industry.
According to Woolchemy, this bio-based ADL offers advantages such as rapid fluid absorption, low re-wetting, and breathability, while also providing natural temperature and odor control. Independent third-party test data shows that hygiene products using this material create a warmer, more stable micro-environment, with humidity levels 10% lower than traditional polypropylene (plastic) alternatives. Furthermore, regarding the key metric of surface dryness, it outperforms other bio-based materials by a factor of 3 to 14.
The Lyocell fibers provided by Lenzing Group are derived from renewable wood sources, ensuring the raw material is entirely bio-based. Designed specifically for nonwovens and paired with special "dry" technology, these fibers precisely meet the rigorous fluid-management requirements of diapers and sanitary pads. This cross-sector collaboration also marks a significant step forward in Woolchemy's push toward commercial-scale production. Just this past May, the company signed an agreement with Spanish spunlace nonwoven manufacturer BC Nonwovens to scale up neweFlex production and expand into additional product categories, including wet wipes, baby care, and incontinence care. The implementation of this project reflects a broader transformation trend within the hygiene nonwovens industry: manufacturers are actively seeking renewable, bio-based fiber systems, striving to reduce reliance on petroleum-derived products without compromising the performance standards expected of disposable hygiene products.
Woolchemy is a New Zealand-based materials technology company headquartered in Upper Hutt, Wellington; it specializes in transforming wool into high-performance hygiene materials that serve as alternatives to plastic.
Lenzing is an Austrian group with an 80-year history in the production of cellulosic fibers and stands as a global leader in the manufacture of regenerated cellulosic fibers. Its headquarters facility produces approximately 358,000 tons of high-quality fiber annually and is the only site in the world capable of producing all three generations of cellulosic fibers-viscose, Modal, and Lyocell.
