BRUSSELS - Trade bodies INDA and EDANA have joined forces to implement and support the industry’s first Quality and Audit Programme (QAP), a voluntary initiative for the hygiene product industry, in the United States market.
The joint effort is expected to increase the reach of, and ramp up support for the programme in the North American absorbent hygiene products and wet wipes sectors.
This latest collaboration follows the harmonisation of test methods several years ago, with the joint programme potentially reducing complexity for both suppliers and converters of AHP and wipes. This programme grew from the inefficiency of facing multiple audits from converter supplier audit programmes, often assessing similar requirements, but according to differing standards.
The programme went through a rigorous testing and piloting phase before being rolled out in the summer of 2022. Initially only available in Europe, the programme is now expanding its reach to cover Asia and the Americas.
Tony Fragnito, INDA president said: “INDA is pleased to partner with EDANA to promote this programme for the benefit and efficiency of the industry.
“With this partnership, we believe QAP will become the global quality standard in the hygiene industry, thus ensuring that consumer products across the industry are of the highest quality.”
Murat Dogru, EDANA’s general manager added: “Answering the needs of many of our members and based on the first results since its implementation in Europe just over a year ago, we are strongly convinced that QAP is a meaningful step forward for the industry.
"While it will still require a kind of paradigm shift, we are sure that more and more industry players from across the world will adopt the programme. I look forward to partnering with INDA to bring QAP to the North American market.”
More information is available on the EDANA website where converters and suppliers can register to take part. The programme is based on a harmonised quality and hygiene standard, which facilitates an objective third-party audit. Organisations can also register to follow a training course to familiarise themselves with the standard.
For further information on the QAP project, contact either INDA’s director of education and technical affairs, Matt O’Sickey at [email protected], or EDANA’s director of scientific and technical affairs, Marines Lagemaat at [email protected].
