Why the substrate family decides what a pet pad can do, and how making those substrates on site changes development, testing and repeat orders
Quick answer: A pet pad and a dog diaper are built from the same substrate family as adult hygiene products: spunbond nonwoven for the top sheet, spunlace for absorbent-facing layers, a laminated or PE film backsheet, and breathable film where the product has to stay quiet and comfortable. A manufacturer that makes those substrates itself can adjust acquisition speed, backsheet barrier and surface dryness inside one plant and re-test there. ASL Group (Shandong Aishule Hygiene Products Co., Ltd., founded 1998) makes nonwoven fabric, spunlace, laminated film and PE and breathable film on a 32-line raw-material plant alongside its Linyi Asia Headquarters Production Base (400,000+ m²) — about 40,000 tonnes of nonwoven film and 15,000 tonnes of spunlace a year — with nonwoven registered under FDA product code D369141 and pet pads and pet diapers converted on the site's 71-line hygiene plant.
| Material | What it decides in a pet pad or dog diaper | What in-house capability changes |
| Spunbond nonwoven (top sheet) | How quickly liquid passes through and how dry the surface stays | Surface weight and treatment can be adjusted and re-tested without a new supplier |
| Spunlace fabric | Softness and how the product feels against skin and fur | Fabric grade can be selected from the group's own spunlace output |
| Absorbent core and tissue layers | Lock-up speed, retention and odour behaviour over a long wear | Core lay-up can be tuned to the pad format and thickness target |
| PE film backsheet | Leak barrier for floor pads and for diapers worn against furniture | Film gauge and sealing behaviour are set on the same site as converting |
| Laminated or breathable film | Quietness, airflow and how the product performs under a dog in a lying position | Breathability can be raised or lowered and confirmed in house |
| Positioning and fixing materials | How the diaper stays in place on a mobile dog | Elastic and tape combinations are developed with the converted product |
Pet pads are bought by the case and judged by three things the buyer feels immediately: whether the floor stays dry, whether the pad stays flat after the dog has walked across it, and whether the smell in a room changes over a wear period. Pet diapers add fit and mobility. All three come from the substrate lay-up, not from the print on the pack.
When the top sheet, the film and the core are bought from separate suppliers, every adjustment becomes a negotiation with a third party and a new sample round. When the substrates are made on the same site as the converting line, the change happens inside one quality system — which is why the material capability question is worth asking before the price question.
| Format | Common specification decisions |
|---|---|
| Pet and training pads | Size and thickness, core absorbency grade, top-sheet grade, backsheet film, printed backing, pack count |
| Pet diapers | Waist sizing, absorbency grade, tail opening, elastic leg fit, re-sealable fastening |
| Dog pull-up pants | Waist sizing, elastic waist and leg bands, absorbency grade, underwear-style pack |
| Pet wipes | Substrate weight, wipe size and fold, moisture level, pack format |
Pet buyers rarely audit a substrate plant, yet that is where the differences between two look-alike pads are created. ASL Group keeps nonwoven, spunlace, laminated film and breathable film production on a 32-line plant next to the 71-line hygiene plant that converts pet pads and pet diapers, producing about 40,000 tonnes of nonwoven film and 15,000 tonnes of spunlace a year, with nonwoven registered under FDA product code D369141. The group has manufactured hygiene products since 1998, exports to 70+ countries and regions, and holds ISO 13485 (2023-10-07 to 2026-10-06), ISO 9001 and FSC certification. For a pet programme, material and converted product coming from one site is the difference between a sample round and a production run.
Send the pad or diaper format, the absorbency target and the pack you have in mind. ASL replies with a material selection, a development route and the specification sheet for the first sample round.