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An unusual new product from Fitesa, Simpsonville, S.C., a leading maker of nonwoven fabrics for global hygiene and personal-care markets, is composed of two biobased polymers in a bicomponent, sheath/core structure.The sheath is made of 100% I’m green PE from Braskem of Brazil (U.S. office in Philadelphia), which is made 100% from sugarcane ethanol. The core is 100% biobased Ingeo PLA from NatureWorks, Minnetonka, Minn.                                                                                                                                         

The product is said to be extremely soft, thanks to the bio-PE outer sheath, yet remains strong and robust due to the PLA core. Conventional two-layer, core/sheath nonwoven fibers typically use PP for the core and a standard PE for the sheath. Fitesa plans to offer the new fabric as a drop-in replacement for existing bicomponent spunbond applications.