At the 12th annual RISE — Research, Innovation & Science for Engineered Fabrics Conference, DiaperRecycle received the RISE Innovation Award for their ground-breaking method to recycle old diapers into absorbent and flushable kitty litter.

The yearly prize honors creativity in nonwovens-related fields and related fields that apply cutting-edge scientific and engineering principles to provide unusual or complex solutions to issues and enhance the use of nonwovens.

DiaperRecycle works to reduce the emissions of used diapers from landfills by diverting them from homes and institutions and separating the plastic from the fiber.

DiaperRecycle CEO Cynthia Wallis Barnicoat said that he is happy and grateful to get this award – as it demonstrates they are on the right course.

Other contenders for the award included Sero hemp fibers from Bast Fibre Technologies, Inc. and Gottlieb Binder GmbH & Co. KG's Binder BioHook (BFT).

The event, which took place at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina, on September 27 and 28, was organized by INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, and The Nonwovens Institute at North Carolina State University.

In sessions centered on circularity and sustainable inputs from sources like Polylactic Acid Polymers (PLA), natural fibers, biofibres, and waste products, more than 20 professionals from the business, academic, and governmental sectors from across the world highlighted technical advancements. Participants praised the conference's exceptional speakers and said it was thought-provoking.

Highlights included presentations on Achieving Supply Chain Circularity, by Kat Knauer, Ph.D., Program Manager – V Research, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, NREL; The Global Plastic Crisis: Winners/Losers in the Marketplace, by Bryan Haynes, Ph.D., Senior Technical Director, Global Nonwovens, Kimberly-Clark Corporation; Sustainable Fibers – Development and the Future by Jason Locklin, Ph.D. Director, University of Georgia – New Materials Institute; PLA & PLA Blends: Practical Aspects of Extrusion by Behnam Pourdeyhimi, and many more.