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Cleaning Products USA, the premier conference for the US cleaning industry, will be held Nov. 9-11, 2016 in Washington DC. Now in its 10th year, the event is co-organized by Smithers Apex and the American Cleaning Institute. It brings together specialty chemical suppliers, ingredient suppliers, cleaning product manufacturers, consumer brands and retailers.

This year, one of the featured speakers is Jason White, a research fellow at The Clorox Company. In an interview with conference organizers, White shared his thoughts on the biggest challenges within the cleaning products industry and what he is most looking forward to at this year’s conference.

Smithers Apex: What are some of the biggest challenges facing the nonwoven industry right now?
Jason White: I would say that the biggest challenge for the nonwovens industry is long term /affordable sustainability. Nonwovens have proven their value in many applications, and provide solutions for many of life’s small challenges, but unfortunately tend to create a large waste stream. Whether its wipes, medical gown and drape, filtration, or incontinence, there is a significant amount of waste from these disposable nonwoven products. The industry needs to continue to innovate with technologies that provide long term sustainability, and continue with self-regulation and public relations management, as seen in activities like the Flushability Guidelines that have been developed and published in recent years.

Smithers Apex: What are some of the most exciting innovations in the wipes category right now?
Jason White: What I see that excites me are all of the new applications, especially from the new or smaller market entrants. There are a lot of niche wipe products out there that are driving some interesting usage of wipes. Gone are the days of “one wipe does it all.” Targeted application seems to be some whitespace for the US consumer. Wet wipes are not just for disinfecting or changing diapers anymore. They have become a versatile cleaning tool that provides convenience to consumers.

Smithers Apex: Why are wipes such an important category in the cleaning products sector?
Jason White: Wipes are all about convenience. Consumers today have very fast paced, multi-tasked lives. They don’t take Saturday morning and clean the house anymore. They clean as they go. At Clorox, we call it cleaning “In-The-Flow.” Wipes provide a convenient form to enable their busy lives with less work or thought spent on cleaning.

Smithers Apex: What are you most looking forward to hearing at the conference, this fall?
Jason White: This will be my first time attending this conference. So, I’m mostly looking forward to see what the atmosphere and talks are like from the cleaning industry experts.