CARY, NC — June 8, 2007 — Nonwovens and consumer products companies from around the world will once again be competing for the industry’s most prestigious award as the nomination process for the 2008 Visionary Award is open to the industry.

INDA, Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, which sponsors the annual award, will be accepting nominations through September 1. Now in its seventh year, the award recognizes consumer end products that utilize nonwoven fabrics or employ nonwoven technology during their manufacturing process.

The 2008 Visionary Award will be presented at the VISION 2008 Consumer Products Conference, scheduled for February 5-7 at the Renaissance Worthington Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas.

The process and criteria for the 2008 Visionary Award are simple:

1. The finished consumer end product must contain a nonwoven fabric or utilize a nonwoven technology during its manufacturing process.
2. The consumer product has to have been introduced to the trade or to consumers in 2006-07.
3. The product can not have been selected as a finalist in any previous Visionary Award competition.
4. Companies can nominate their own products. While any number of products can be nominated, only one product per company will be selected as a finalist.

Products will be judged on their novel use of nonwoven technology, as well as on their consumer and trade acceptance. Eligible consumer product categories include disposable diapers, feminine hygiene products, adult incontinence products, household wipes and home filters, among others.

The nominees will then be reviewed by an INDA selection committee and five finalists will be selected to make presentations at the VISION 2008 Consumer Products Conference. Conference attendees will then vote on the recipient of the award and the recipient is announced on the final day of the Conference.

Last January at the VISION 2007 Conference in Denver, Tyco Healthcare Retail Group’s Swim Pants was named as the recipient of the 2007 Visionary Award. VISION 2007 attendees selected the Swim Pants over five other nominated products — Cotton Feminine Hygiene Products, Corman Italy; Cool2Go Insulating Wrap, DuPont; Johnson’s Baby Extracare Wipes, Johnson & Johnson Europe; Petsleeves Petwear, Petsleeves; and Pampers Cruisers, Procter & Gamble.

Other previous winners include Chicopee’s Disaster Relief Blanket (2006); Fiberweb’s Resolution Print Media (2005); Church & Dwight’s Brillo Scrub ‘n’ Toss (2004), FMJ ChemBio’s Civilian Quick Escape Mask (2003) and Procter & Gamble's Swiffer (2002).

To nominate a product, email an explanation of the product to Michael Jacobsen, Visionary Awards coordinator, at mjacobsen@inda.org. Samples of the product should also be sent to Michael Jacobsen, INDA, 22 Paterson Avenue, Midland Park, NJ 07432 USA.

Call 201-612-6601 with any questions. For more information on the VISION 2008 Consumer Products Conference, log on to www.inda.org.