Textile Insight

textileinsight.com September/October 2021 ~ Textile Insight • 28 Staying Fresh for Longer As brands face growing pressure to find ways to extend the life of their products, technologies from the Swedish firm Polygiene are helping them make this happen. Because by controlling odor in textiles, we can significantly reduce the number of times a product needs to be washed – quite simply: wear more and wash less. In all, more than 300 global pre- mium brands have now chosen to use Polygiene technology with their products, helping establish Polygiene as the leading stay fresh ingredient brand. And, even more importantly, the company's technologies are helping to fundamentally change the way that we view our garments and other gear – from fast consumables to durables. For instance, the Dutch brand Kings of Indigo uses Polygiene BioStatic™ Stays Fresh technology on a number of its products. is is an antimicrobial technology that stops the odor at the source by permanently inhibiting the growth of odor-causing bacteria created from sweat. e Panama fabric in Kings of Indigo's Daria chino is colored with natural indigo dye and will fade a little over time. However, because it is treated with Polygiene Stays Fresh® technology, the consumer doesn't have to wash the item as oen as standard garments, so the deep indigo color will stay on for longer, extending the life of the product. A growing number of brands are also using Polygiene OdorCrunch™Stays Fresh technology, a natural product that consists of the main ingredient in sand (silica). Odor molecules are efficiently captured and permanently elimi- nated – keeping the product fresh, reducing the need to wash, and therefor making it last longer. Danish brand Mos Mosh, whose collections can be found in more than 2,000 retail stores, is one of the latest companies to adopt this technology. It began a collaboration with Polygiene this year and has begun the partnership with its best- selling shirts, including its Marco Crunch jersey shirt. e brand says, "this so cotton shirt is perfect for a man on the run," with the Polygiene OdorCrunch™ technology "leaving your shirt fresh aer each wear." Antimicrobial Treatment Polygiene's newest technology, Polygiene ViralOff™, also helps enhance a brand's sustainability. is technology is an antimicrobial treatment that reduces over 99% of microbes in a treated material or product*. It was introduced in 2020 in response to the growing demand for antimicrobial solutions sparked by COVID-19. Polygiene ViralOff enhances the hygiene and protection qualities of a number of products – and just like the other Polygiene technologies, it extends a product's life. It can be used with PPE, scrubs and other equipment used by medical staff, as well as for the public, where the functionality is relevant, such as in gloves and facemasks, as well as bedsheets and even furniture in public spaces and mass transportation. Demand for durability In addition to the search for more antimicrobial products, surveys show that consumers' desire for longer-lasting products is steadily increasing. is is due to COVID-19 and has led us to rethink our impact on the environment. For instance, in a poll carried out by McKinsey & Co. in April 2020, two- thirds of surveyed consumers said it has become even more important to limit impacts on climate change, while 88% of respondents believed more attention should be paid to reducing pollution. e poll of more than 2,000 U.K. and German consumers also found that, as a result of the pandemic, 65% of respondents were planning to purchase more durable fashion items, with 71% planning to keep the items they already have for longer. Additionally, 57% of respondents said they were willing to repair items to prolong usage. As the textile and clothing industry looks to a post-Covid world, it is aiming to adapt to all these new realities. Polygiene is aiming to support each brand and manufacturer it works with every step of the way as they aim to extend the life of their products, minimize textile waste and progress towards greater sustainability. Besides using a three-part approach combining technical, marketing, and commercial support, recent initiatives also include joining the ZDHC Foundation's (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) Roadmap to Zero program alongside Polygiene's partners. With growing evidence underlining the importance of the choices made by consumers and the impact of their behaviors, Polygiene's technologies, and its collaborations with its partners, help provide solutions to many of these changing needs. n "No other single action – such as more sustainably produced textile fibers or better recycling methods – has the potential to reduce the impact of Swedish clothing consumption as much as doubling the life of the clothes we already own" *Polygiene ViralOff® does not prevent diseases but protects the treated material. 1 Sandin, G., Roos, S., Spak, B., Zamani, B. and Peters, G., 2019, Environmental assessment of Swedish clothing consumption: Six garments – sustainable futures (http:// mistrafuturefashion.com/ wp-content/uploads/2019/08/G.Sandin-Environmental-assessment-of-Swedish-clothing-consumption. MistraFutureFashionReport-2019.05.pdf; accessed 10 March 2020). 2 Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, 2019, Fakta om Textilavfall (http://www.naturvardsverket.se/Sa-mar-miljon/ Mark/Avfall/Textilavfall/; accessed 12 March 2020). 3 Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, SMED Report No. 176, 2016, Plockanalyser av textilier i hushållens restavfall (http://www.naturvardsverket.se/upload/ miljoarbete-i-samhallet/miljoarbete-i-sverige/regeringsuppdrag/2016/ redovisade/plockanalyser-av-textilier-i-hushallens-restavfall-smed-rapport-2016-06-17.pdf; accessed 12 March 2020)

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