Non-woven fabric is an industrial product suitable for many different uses in any field. This material seems to be a fabric, but its manufacture is obtained through different processes. In particular, the fibres of this fabric are arranged or crossed in layers and united through thermal or adhesives processes, such as needle punching, resin or heat fixing.

The needle punching is a process carried out with the aid of needles, which, with their vertical movement, allow the vertical penetration and compactness of the fibres, thanks to the overlapping of several veil layers. On the other hand, the impregnation with resin highlights the brightness and colours of the fabric and gives it a three dimensional effect. Another type of process is called spun bonded: here the non-woven fabric derives from polymers consisting of continuous filaments of a series of dies, with points of intersections welded by presses.

The production of the non-woven fabric occurs through the use of synthetic or natural fibres, such as cotton, wool or felt, and polyester resins; therefore the result product is water resistant and impervious to high and low temperatures, but very soft.

The non-woven fabric can be found within the most diverse industrial products, especially among the disposable items. For example, if the non-woven fabric comes from the paper milling, it will be used for disposable table-cloths, napkins and the like, or it will be employed in the production of fabrics for dusting or cleaning. We find the use of this material even in the building (to set ceilings or as a substrate for building), in the field of furniture: sofas, armchairs or chairs, in medical clothes, for instance gowns, caps and shoe covers, in the beauty centres (covers for beds or slippers), in the sector of agriculture (sheets for the protection of plants, flowers or trees), in the clothing (straps for clothes), in industry in general, but especially in the field of packaging, (as the Omet tissue converting branch does), in the photography (backdrop photos), as well as in the sport field (in the competition ring for the hurdles jumping).

As described above, the use of non-woven fabric occurs in many disparate fields, even in the manufacturing of baby nappies, incontinence products or sanitary pads, in packaging, in the filtration of gases and liquids, for example in the mechanism of the vacuum cleaner, but also for the permeability and resistance to the infiltration, for the protection from viruses and bacteria and the neutralization of the odours, to make the products breathable. Moreover, its use also appears in the lining of houses and roofs as insulation material. A further feature of the non-woven involves the waste containment, because the non-woven material prevents the chemical contamination of the soil and the thermal insulation. Moreover, the manufacturing of underlay and curtains makes use of the non-woven fabric.

The use of this material has enabled many innovations in all fields mentioned above, in both domestic and industrial sector; for example it has made softer and more comfortable nappies for children, allowing the development of the pant nappies which enable the children to run and move freely.