Technological fit is the key

We launched Eucafluff to the market in 2016. Since then, with the product in circulation, we have gone through an intense learning process regarding the application of eucalyptus-based fluff across different hygiene product categories. It was a journey marked by crucial trial and error until we reached the level of maturity we have today, allowing us to apply our product safely and state with full transparency to a new customer: “With this technology, it won’t work, but if you use this other one, which you already have in your factory, together we can achieve a final product of excellent quality.”

A defining moment for our application engineering team — and I would dare say for the entire Eucafluff team — occurred in 2019. That year, shortly after testing Eucafluff with a customer in North America, I immediately called the team to share the news: “We had no core integrity issues. Zero core breakage.” Until then, core integrity had been a major challenge, creating uncertainty among customers regarding the potential of short-fiber fluff for hygiene products.

This challenge exists because eucalyptus fibers are shorter and have thinner cell walls than pine fibers (long fiber). These characteristics reduce the natural interlocking of fibers, increasing the likelihood of core breakage during the use of products such as baby diapers or feminine hygiene products. Up to that point, we could not confidently state that a core made with short-fiber fluff pulp would remain intact under real-use conditions.

So what made it work in 2019?

If I had to summarize it in one expression: technological fit.

Since the launch of Eucafluff, we have evolved through a continuous process of testing, defining assumptions, running new test cycles, and building partnerships with customers and strategic suppliers across the value chain. Through this process, we realized that the technological fit of the machine is fundamental to the successful application of Eucafluff.

In 2020, we identified the ideal conditions for manufacturing 100% Eucafluff cores in categories such as baby diapers and feminine hygiene products — an outcome that, until then, had only been achievable in pet pads and underpads. The first condition is the use of high-technology machines. More advanced machines offer features that ensure better performance with Eucafluff, especially in the fiberization process. To achieve good results with short fibers, it is essential that the mills are suited to their behavior. In addition, functionalities such as core wrapping (with tissue or spunbond), channel formation in pads, dual-layer core construction, and the use of integrity adhesives when necessary directly contribute to solving the core integrity challenge.

Identifying these ideal conditions allowed us to expand partnerships with new customers, adhesive producers, and industrial machinery manufacturers, as well as to qualify Eucafluff with the leading players in the hygiene industry. Thanks to this collective learning, new machines delivered to the market are now capable of processing short-fiber fluff from the moment they are installed. This continuous advancement has strengthened market confidence in Eucafluff.

After six years of an intense learning curve, we have consolidated a robust application engineering know-how, enabling us to quickly identify whether a customer’s production conditions do — or do not — have a technological fit with our eucalyptus-based fluff. This maturity, combined with more than 20 years of experience from our technical team in the hygiene industry, allows us to act with precision, saving time and resources for both Suzano and our customers.

As a result, in addition to quality gains, we have significantly expanded the applications of Eucafluff. In 2017, the production of 100% Eucafluff cores was only possible on Chinese machines designed for pet pads and underpads. Today, its use is well established in feminine hygiene products, baby diapers, and baby pants, and we are advancing tests for urinary incontinence products.

We know that Eucafluff is still a relatively new product in the market and that much remains to be developed, tested, and refined in the coming years. But one thing is certain: eucalyptus-based fluff is an innovation with a promising future. If you are interested in learning more about Eucafluff, please send a message to Joas Junior, or contact our team at eucafluff@suzano.com.br.