Why does the rise in oil prices directly affect the cost of diapers and sanitary napkins?

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Why does the rise in oil prices directly affect the cost of diapers and sanitary napkins? 2022 - 06 - 13

Why does the rise in oil prices directly affect the cost of diapers and sanitary napkins?

Because most of the raw materials of baby diapers and sanitary napkins such as SAP, non-woven fabrics, hot melt adhesives, breathable films, and spandex yarns are derived from petrochemical products: including polyethylene films, non-woven fabrics, acrylic acid, polypropylene, synthetic rubber, etc. More than 10 species. The rise in oil prices has led to an increase in the price of petrochemical products, and the price of baby diapers will increase accordingly.

Let's first take a look at the composition of diapers
Petrochemical materials in diapers:

Polyacrylic acid: core absorber polymer SAP;
Polyethylene: bottom film PE film, outer packaging bag, adhesive sticker, random sticker;
Polypropylene: surface non-woven fabric, composite bottom film non-woven fabric;
Nylon: Velcro (Hoop Loop, Hook and Loop);
Polyacrylic acid, polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, all come from petroleum.

You will be surprised to find that, in addition to wood pulp,
The materials used in diapers are descendants of petroleum.
It turned out that we were not using diapers, but "oil diapers".

1. SAP as an important raw material for diapers
As we all know, super absorbent resins (SAP) have important uses in the hygiene industry, mainly for absorbing liquids. It is one of the important raw materials for the production of sanitary napkins and diapers. With the increase in the price of oil, the price of acrylic acid will follow, and SAP is also very likely to rise.

2. Non-woven fabrics, also known as non-woven fabrics, play an important role in the hygiene product industry, especially in diapers and sanitary napkins. The raw material of the non-woven fabric is polypropylene. It is understood that polypropylene is a polymer resin obtained from petroleum or natural gas as raw materials, after refining and cracking into various petrochemical basic raw materials (monomers), and then through polymerization (addition polymerization or condensation polymerization).

The price of oil is rising, and the price of petroleum-based plastics may increase, so the price of non-woven materials may be on an upward trend.

3. Polyethylene as a raw material for breathable membranes may increase in price
Breathable film, that is, polyethylene film, refers to a film produced from the raw material polyethylene. In addition, PE (polyester), one of the main types of plastics, is a polymer material synthesized from polyethylene as a raw material. Ethylene, as the most commonly used petrochemical product, is mainly used in the manufacture of polyethylene, a plastic raw material.

Crude oil is on the rise, and the cost of polyethylene-based breathable membranes may increase with polyethylene prices.

4.Therefore, the price of raw materials driven by oil has increased, which has increased the cost burden of the sanitary products industry, especially the manufacturers of sanitary napkins and diapers.