Our history
Ontex was founded in Belgium in 1979 as a supplier of underpads for Belgian hospitals, clinics and care homes.
Since then, we have been driven by a simple purpose – to partner with our stakeholders and make great quality products accessible to all. Over time we have grown into an international company in the baby, feminine and adult care categories, trusted by people of all generations, to make their everyday lives that little bit easier.
Today, we have offices and manufacturing plants in Europe and North America. Then, as now, it was all about developing innovation for everyone, being close to customers and understanding consumers’ needs.
Our history is one of proud employees, continuous innovation in products and services, technological advances and strong partnerships.
1970’
1979
Ontex was founded in Buggenhout, Belgium, supplying underpads to hospitals and care homes. The name Ontex comes from "Onderleggers in textiel" or Textile underpads.
1980’
1980
The first machine for producing feminine care pads, branded Helen Harper, was installed and became operational.
1983
Ontex embraced automation, introducing computerized production.
1989
Ontex opened a factory store in Buggenhout, allowing direct consumer sales—an important step in reducing the stigma around incontinence products by offering them outside of pharmacies.
1990’
1990
A devastating fire destroyed the factory in Buggenhout. Thanks to the incredible resilience of our team, production returned to pre-fire levels in less than six months.
1991
Ontex acquired the Grosspostwitz factory in Germany. The facility was fully modernized to produce tampons with and without applicators, becoming Ontex’s sole tampon production site after the fire.
1992
Ontex has manufacturing plants in the UK, Italy, Austria, US and Argentina.
1993
We started manufacturing feminine care and baby care in Poland.
1998
On December 11, Ontex was listed on the stock exchange for the first time.
2000’
2000
We opened and acquired production facilities in Germany, France and Turkey.
2004
We started the first baby pants production, marking an exciting milestone in our product offering.
2005
Ontex employed 3,500 people across 15 manufacturing plants, sales offices and the headquarters, covering baby care, adult care, and feminine care.
2007
We introduced elastic ears for baby diapers, enhancing the fit and comfort while making the diapers easier to use for parents and caregivers.
2010’
2011
Ontex acquired one of Europe’s biggest disposable hygiene products suppliers, Lille Healthcare, and opened plants in Australia and Russia.
2013
We added the Serenity label to our adult care portfolio through acquisition in Italy.
2014
Listing on the Belgium Euronext stock exchange in June gave us a strong financial base to continue to develop new products, work with customers and seek new markets. This year we also published our first Sustainability Report.
2016
Ontex acquires Grupo PI Mabe - a leading manufacturer of disposable personal hygiene products in Latin America - expanding our footprint into the Americas.
2019
We opened a new production plant in Poland.
2020’
2021
Ontex official launched Orizon, a smart continence management system for care homes and hospitals. The app notifies caregivers when incontinence protection nears saturation—offering dignity for residents and efficiency for staff.
2022
We received official approval from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), affirming our commitment to climate science.
2022
We opened a new baby diaper manufacturing plant in Stokesdale, North Carolina, supporting North American retail and lifestyle brands, alongside our Tijuana facility.
2023
We initiated the execution of our company transformation plan to sharpen focus and enhance competitiveness. We introduced the SatinSense tampon range and Confidaily pantyliners for feminine care. We launched X-Core technology in our adult pants range, to meet consumer demand for ease of use, discretion and leakage protection.
2024
Ontex launched Dreamshields technology for baby diapers and Dreamshield 360° for baby pants with superior leakage protection. We earned an Ecovadis Gold rating for sustainability excellence.
2025
We celebrated the inauguration of our R&D Center in Segovia, Spain; strengthening our commitment to fast, affordable, and sustainable innovation while enhancing our agile supply chain for customers across Ontex’s key markets.
