b'INDUSTRY TRENDSCOVID-19s potential impact on commercial hand towel demandPlease wash your hands and dry them with a paper towel!By Bruce Janda, Senior Consultant, Fisher InternationalAs Dwight Eisenhower famouslyconcern, however, none of thesemost difficult in a medical setting remarked: In preparing forevents had enough global impact and(where washing is required after battle, I have always found thatpersonal disruption to significantlyeach patient interaction) than in plans are useless, but planning ischange Individuals handwashingfood processing where the work is indispensable.behavior.continuous. Frequent hand washing can irritate skin and cause topical Gen. Eisenhower came long beforeTissue makers focused on theinfections. Public restrooms are not this COVID-19 pandemic, but hecommercial or the away-from-homealways clean and some try to get out understood the difficulty of planningmarket have long understood thatas fast as possible without stopping at with incomplete information. Havinghand washing and drying with athe sink.a plan, even if it involves wrongpaper towel is an underserved market assumptions, provides the bestneed. If people followed professionalWe dont know what life in the post-understanding and ability to react toguidelines (as shown in Figure 1pandemic world will be like, but its events that unfold.from the Centers for Disease Controlreasonable to expect some changes to and Prevention) there would be aour routines and behaviors that will be As we continue to navigate toiletsignificant increase in paper handpermanent. paper-hoarding habits and disruptionstowel demand. in tissue production and distribution,We are now very aware that soap and the demand for public handwashingThere are two problems with thiswater destroy the virus with no need support in this new normal couldsimple recommendation notfor anti-microbial additives. Hand increase significantly.everyone washes their hands,sanitizer has some efficacy but isnt a and those who do rarely take thecomplete answer to removing soiled This article explores how that mightprescribed time to do so properly. material or killing other resistant drive changes in paper hand towelgerms like the gastrointestinal production and distribution as weA 2003 study by the American Societynorovirus.come out of global lockdown and getfor Microbiology found 83 percent of back to business. women washed their hands after usingSo those in the tissue and towel Tissuethe restroom, but only 74 percentindustry have to ask themselves:HOW CLEAN ARE WE, REALLY? makersof men did the same. And this isntWhat if this pandemic results in The COVID-19 pandemic has broughthave longunique to the US as a British studya sea-change in handwashing a new focus on cleanliness andunderstoodconducted in highway service stationcompliance and frequency? preventing the spread of diseasethat handrestrooms, using electronic sensorsWhat if patrons of restaurants, through personal contact andwashingto measure compliance found that 65hotels, and truck stop all contaminated surfaces. We haveand dryingpercent of women and 35 percent ofdemanded better hygiene experienced epidemics like this inwith a papermen washed their hands. facilities? the past, but SARS, MERS, and ZIKAtowel is anWhat if people started washing receive global only had a regionalunderservedThere are many reasons why peopletheir hands after touching public impact. Ebola caused worldwidemarket need.dont clean their hands. Its probablyhandrails and buttons?TISSUE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL7'