MAS Holdings Doubles Its Empowerment Commitment To The UN Foundation In The Midst Of COVID-19

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — September 29, 2020 — MAS Holdings, the largest design-to-delivery apparel solutions provider in South Asia renewed its commitment today to empower more of its employees by extending its original undertaking to provide health and wellbeing education and services focusing on sexual and reproductive health; and awareness on gender-based violence, to its employees and the communities adjacent to their manufacturing locations. Having surpassed the target of 10,000 beneficiaries since its commitment in June 2019, MAS doubled its commitment to reach 20,000 beneficiaries by the original 2021 timeline. The company, headquartered in Sri Lanka, formalized their new commitment at the virtual parallel event of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly co-hosted by the World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA) and the Universal Access Project of the UN Foundation (UNF).

MAS Holdings was one of 11 trailblazing global companies that committed to improving the health and wellbeing of its workers and community members around the world in 2019 through the UNF’s Universal Access Project and its Private Sector Action for Women’s Health and Empowerment Initiative. The company outlined bold, measurable and time-bound plans to empower its employees through highly focused programs on women’s health, sexual and reproductive health and rights and on gender-based violence, anchored to its globally acclaimed hallmark women’s empowerment platform, ‘Women Go Beyond’ in alignment with SDGs 3 and 5, among others.

A Legacy Anchored in Women’s Empowerment

With women making up 70 percent of the company’s 99,000 global workforce, MAS Holdings identified a fundamental requirement to support and empower its female employees very early in its operation, before it was defined as a corporate responsibility. Stand-alone initiatives that helped women, soon started showing results and began to scale into larger, long-term programs. MAS began to invest heavily in women’s career development, skill development and more importantly in their health and well-being, creating awareness on sexual and reproductive health and rights, menstrual health, nutrition, pre- and post-natal care and issues surrounding gender-based violence.

In 2003, all empowerment and gender equality initiatives came under the Women Go Beyond (WGB) banner that also gave the company a powerful platform to recognize and reward its women on their achievements, a powerful element that pushed WGB and MAS to the global limelight as a pioneer of ethical business practices; WGB has provided over 300,000 opportunities for its employees and their families since its inception, highlighting women’s empowerment as the foundation of economic stability in Sri Lanka and the region. Women who treated their jobs as transitory in nature found new meaning in their careers, discovering not only untapped intellectual capacities and skillsets, but also economic freedom, autonomy and self-confidence.

Progress of Commitments in 2020

While COVID-19 resulted in catastrophic economic and health impacts around the world, MAS was able to leverage its existing WGB framework to reach out to female employees and support them through multi-faceted programs that also addressed possible escalations of domestic and gender-based violence (GBV) during pandemic-related lockdowns. MAS Holdings was able to enhance the quality of its existing health-related WGB programs provided for all employees in 2019 while also introducing highly focused programs on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), non-communicable diseases (NCD) and life skills through its 2019 commitment.

In addition to the health and wellness programs focusing on hygiene, nutrition, family planning, pre- and post-natal care, that have been carried out over the last decade, MAS has partnered with the Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka to train in-house trainers to deliver workshops on sexual and reproductive health and rights and NCDs. This enabled both male and female employees to share this comprehensive knowledge in their communities to create awareness.

Another such new initiative focuses on equipping in-house counselors and human resources executives with “skills to better address cases of domestic violence and GBV, including an understanding of the legal framework surrounding GBV.” A Legal Rights Awareness Program conducted at an MAS facility in Bangladesh educated 2,800 women on domestic violence as a consequence of early marriage and provided legal aid for those affected.

MAS’ social sustainability strategy is well aligned with its business strategy and is driven by its senior leadership. Dedicated teams across the Group work on identified focus areas and drive necessary interventions to address the many gaps in access, education and services faced by women across global locations.

Other notable programs include the company’s Aloka Breast Cancer Awareness Initiative that saw the company partner with the Sri Lanka Cancer Society to conduct awareness sessions on breast cancer, symptom detection and self-examination. The program educated 6,939 employees and trained 132 more employees on lump-detection, elevating company-wide benchmarks in health and well-being expertise.

Additionally, a total number of 1,167 female employees of MAS graduated from the Personal Advancement and Career Enhancement (P.A.C.E.) program launched by Gap Inc. nurturing their professional and leadership skills..

2021 and Beyond

“We are proud to announce the expansion of our commitment to the UNF’s Universal Access Project and its Private Sector Action for Women’s Health and Empowerment.,” Deputy General Manager of Women’s Empowerment, Advocacy and Code of Conduct, Thanuja Jayawardene said during the virtual event. “Gender equality is a core value for us as an organization and we have an expansive framework to drive this agenda, focusing on economic, social and personal empowerment. We see health, wellbeing and freedom from gender-based violence as basic requirements, to developing female leaders for our businesses and our communities. This is a journey and we have a long way to go, implementing meaningful change.”

As MAS Holdings fast adapts and recovers in a post-COVID landscape, it lies tethered to its founding value of first and foremost being responsible for the safety, health and well-being of its employees. While the company adjusts to the new normal, it remains optimistic of achieving its new targets despite the obstacles and global industry turmoil, taking sustainable action to educate, encourage, empower and celebrate its women.

Posted September 29, 2020

Source: MAS Holdings

ITOCHU, Borealis And Borouge Announce Collaboration To Enable Uptake Of Renewable Polypropylene In The Japanese Market

VIENNA, Austria — September 25, 2020 — Borealis, Borouge and ITOCHU jointly announced today that they have the strategic intent to jointly evaluate how to enable uptake of renewable polypropylene (PP) in the Japanese market.

The developments of climate change are attracting attention in Japan and overseas, and countermeasures are urgently required. Under these circumstances, Japan has formulated a basic plan to introduce approximately two million tons of renewable plastic products by 2030. There is a need to shift to renewable plastics, which feature enhanced environmental considerations without compromising the superiority of plastics.

PP is a principal raw material characterized by its high strength and high heat resistance. It is used extensively, including in food containers, daily commodities and automotive parts. Meanwhile, it has been considered difficult to commercialize PP production from renewable materials due to the many technical difficulties in the production.

Since its foundation in 1994, Borealis has been in business in at least 120 countries as a world-class plastic and resin manufacturer. In the environmental sector, it engages in manufacturing and sales of renewable plastics and recycled resins. In March 2020, it embarked on the commercial production of renewable PP and is now working to expand sales in Europe and around the world.

The renewable PP is made from sustainable feedstock from organic waste and residue streams. Unlike using feedstocks produced with agricultural crops suitable for food and livestock feed, this renewable feedstock is composed of various wastes and residues like from vegetable oil production or used cooking oil from the food industry. Reusing waste products to manufacture renewable feedstocks further enhances their appeal from a sustainability perspective. This step clearly showcases Borealis’ EverMinds™ ambition in terms of thinking circular. The traceability from the point of origin to the final product is ensured through the mass balance model and ISCC Plus certified by a third-party independent body.

Borouge provides innovative plastics solutions for the packaging, energy, infrastructure, mobility, healthcare and agriculture industries. Borouge is working to bring about a plastics circular economy on several fronts, including developing new disruptive packaging designs for re-use and recyclability, and introducing mono-material solutions that enable recyclability and help to unlock value for customers while supporting their sustainability goals.

Borouge is also actively working across the entire value chain to drive innovations in quality, supply and usage of recyclate materials, and create ready to use, value-adding solutions that our customers require to advance their circularity. Borouge aims to be a one-stop shop to its customers for all their sustainable packaging requirements.

ITOCHU aims to enhance its corporate value by addressing social issues through its core business. ITOCHU will move forward with the expansion of the global renewable plastics business, particularly in Japan and in Asia. It targets to commercially launch Japan’s first food containers and packaging materials made of Renewable PP by the end of 2020 as well as other sanitary goods, miscellaneous daily goods, cosmetic containers, office supplies, home electric appliances, automotive parts and other items in many different fields.

ITOCHU will actively use its Group networks in Japan and overseas to create a new business model in the domain of renewable plastics and to accelerate actions towards achieving a society for sustainable global development.

Posted September 29, 2020

Source: Borealis AG

Dow And Sport Singapore Partner To Divert 300,000 Pairs Of Shoes Away From Landfill Into Building New Sports Infrastructure

SINGAPORE — September 25, 2020 — Materials science company Dow and national sports agency Sport Singapore (SportSG) today announced a pioneering partnership to catalyze circular economy solutions in Singapore.

Drawing on its technological and R&D expertise and track record of collaborative solutions, Dow will work with Sport Singapore to transform shoes contributed by members of the community into jogging tracks, fitness corners and playgrounds.

This project is a first-of-its-kind in Asia Pacific.

From September 26, members of the public can give a second life to their used sports shoes by contributing to building new sports surfaces and infrastructure rather than throwing them away.

The “Others see an old shoe. We see the future.” project aims to recycle 300,000 pairs of used sports shoes and divert them away from the landfill over the next three years. A shoe collection drive is scheduled to launch on World Environmental Health Day on September 26, which aims to raise global awareness about today’s most pressing environmental health concerns.

The public can choose to drop their used sports shoes at any of the 30 collection points including participating ActiveSG sport centres & stadiums, Decathlon stores, JD Sports stores and more than 30 education institutions (for students & staff only) all over Singapore. The collection drive will end on November 30.

SportSG CEO Lim Teck Yin, said: “This project demonstrates how we can all play a meaningful part in workable real-world solutions that champion sustainability in our fields of endeavour. The partnership with Dow has brought ideas and expertise together to encourage collective responsibility in the community to drive positive change — taking the effort to recycle your worn-out shoes can not only contribute to new infrastructure but reduce the load on landfills. We hope that this collaboration will bring about ripple effects with more partners in promoting shared aspirations in sustainability through sport.”

“As we move away from a make-use-dispose society into one where circularity becomes ever more relevant today, collaborating with partners across the value chain such as Sport Singapore and the community is critical. We all have a role to play if we want a better outcome for the environment,” said Jon Penrice, Dow president for Asia Pacific. “This project aligns well with our recently announced sustainability target to Stop the Waste where we will collaborate with like-minded partners to increase global recycling, enabling 1 million metric tons of plastic to be collected, reused or recycled through partnerships by 2030.”

This circular economy project collects used sports shoes — including school shoes and football boots without metal studs — from the general public. The rubberized soles and midsoles are then ground into rubber granules that are used as a material to build the sport infrastructure, partially replacing hazardous recycled tires. A water-based and solvent-free binder technology then binds the granules together. The result is environmentally friendlier and safer sports infrastructure for users delivered through partners collaborating for a more sustainable future.

A pilot project to test the feasibility of using recycled sports shoes to partially replace recycled tires was conducted for an initial 200 square meter area — approximately 100 meters 2-lane jogging track — at the yet to be unveiled Kallang Football Hub.

A team of R&D experts from Dow and Dow’s business partner B.T. Sports working in Singapore perfected the process over a period of six months before the pilot project was completed earlier this year.

According to a report by market research company Statista, an estimated 22 million pairs of shoes are sold in Singapore yearly. Statistics from the National Environment Agency indicate that 161,000 tonnes of textile and leather waste were disposed of in Singapore in 2019, of which, only 4 percent was recycled.

Posted September 29, 2020

Source: Dow

Carbios to Move Facilities to a Michelin Site in Clermont-Ferrand, France

CLERMONT-FERRAND, France — September 28, 2020 — Carbios, a company pioneering new bio-industrial solutions to reinvent the lifecycle of plastic and textile polymers, announced today the regrouping of its teams on a single site belonging to Michelin. They will be located near Carbios’ Clermont-Ferrand, France, headquarters.

The facilities made available to Carbios will accommodate all of the company’s activities, currently spread over several locations. In particular, they will include the development laboratory, the pilot facility and demonstration plant of Carbios’ enzymatic recycling technology for PET plastics and fibers. This move will support Carbios’ corporate and operational synergies to advance project development and ensure technological and economic optimization.

This strategic decision reinforces Carbios’ ambitions to position itself as the world leader in biological technologies for the end of life of plastics and synthetic fibers. The quality of the new infrastructure will enable Carbios to improve the risk profile associated with the industrial demonstration phase while controlling costs and deadlines. The operational teams, now grouped on the same site, will benefit from an optimal environment to successfully industrialize Carbios’ technology. Carbios’ demonstration plant, initially planned in Saint-Fons (Rhône, France) and now integrated on the new site, will be operational in September 2021 versus June 20211. This decision supports Carbios’ ambition to grant its first enzymatic recycling technology license by 2023 and provide a better integration of the company’s current and future partners.

This move underlines Michelin’s support for Carbios’ technological solutions, following its participation in the Carbios’ recent, successful capital increase.

Jean-Claude Lumaret, Carbios’ CEO, noted: “This is a real opportunity for Carbios to reinforce the cooperation between its teams and promote the consistency of all its activities in an innovative environment. This collaboration, with a world-renowned company such as Michelin, highlights the attractiveness of our technology and allows Carbios to benefit from a unique and rich ecosystem to continue its industrialization phase.”

Posted September 29, 2020

Source: Carbios

DuraSorb® Monofilament Mesh Earns CE Mark Approval

CHICAGO — September 29, 2020 — Surgical Innovation Associates (SIA), an early growth-stage medical technology company, announced today it secured CE Mark approval for its flagship absorbable mesh, DuraSorb®. The product provides mechanical support and scaffolding during the early months of wound healing and scar formation, followed by gradual absorption, to leave the patient free of foreign material by one year.1,2,3

DuraSorb received a CE mark for reconstructive and aesthetic indications including abdominal hernia prophylaxis, breast tissue support, and prosthetic breast support. This technology adds tremendous value in European hospital systems, where surgeons sometimes try to avoid permanent mesh products, and human- or animal-based biologic meshes are scarce due to safety concerns and high costs. No mesh product, DuraSorb or otherwise, currently has approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for any breast procedure.

“It is important that we expand access to our products for plastic and reconstructive surgeons and their patients beyond our own borders here in the US,” said Dr. Alexei Mlodinow, president and CEO of SIA. “We are excited to work with one of several potential partners across the pond to introduce DuraSorb® in Europe and, in the future, other markets.”

Designed by surgeons, textile experts, and polymer scientists, DuraSorb is a next-generation product in a growing category of bioabsorbable materials that provide an important alternative to biologic meshes or permanent synthetic meshes. The product received initial 510(k) clearance from the US FDA for soft tissue support in late 2018, and was first used clinically within a post-market registry in 2019. US commercial efforts began earlier this year.

SIA’s quality management system was also certified under ISO 13485:2016, following on-site evaluation by an international body that governs the quality of medical device manufacturing – LNE/G-MED. These certificates confirm the company’s focus on customer needs as well as its commitment to the highest standards of product quality and international regulatory compliance.

“The ISO certification and CE Mark represent significant milestones in our transition from a US-based R&D organization to a global commercial one,” said Todd Cruikshank, COO of SIA. “This is an important demonstration that SIA has the necessary infrastructure and controls to design, produce and distribute high quality medical devices for a global patient population.”

References:

  1. Clinical data on file. Study 19-002: Real-World Application of Durasorb™ Monofilament Mesh: An Open-Label Registry Study of Soft Tissue Support in General and Plastic Surgery.
  2. Mlodinow A.S., Kuzycz M., Hasse M., Cruikshank T., Wiegel S.W., & Vazquez R. (October, 2018). Proof-of-Concept Use of Novel Biosynthetic Scaffold in a Porcine Model of Abdominal Wall Repair Oral Presentation presented at: American College of Surgeons Congress 2018; Boston, MA, USA.
  3. Mlodinow AS, Kuzycz M, Hasse M, Cruikshank T, Wiegel SW, Ellis MF, & Kim JYS. (May, 2019). Biomechanical and Histologic Evaluation of a Novel Absorbable Mesh in a Porcine Model of Abdominal Wall Repair. Poster presented at: Plastic Surgery Research Council 2019; Baltimore, MD, USA.

Posted September 29, 2020

Source: Surgical Innovation Associates (SIA)

Kontoor Brands Aims To Transform Apparel Production For Good

GREENSBORO, N.C. — September 29, 2020 — Kontoor Brands Inc., a global lifestyle apparel company with a portfolio led by Wrangler® and Lee®, today announced its first set of global sustainability goals and shared its inaugural report on sustainability impacts. The company aspires to transform the industry by taking a holistic approach to apparel and denim production, building off early successes pioneered by its brands.

“Denim is known as being tough, durable and long-lasting. But the production process historically has been resource-intensive. We’re facing this challenge head-on by scrutinizing every aspect of the denim lifecycle and investing as needed to develop more sustainable processes,” said Scott Baxter, president and CEO, Kontoor Brands. “With a little over one year behind us as a publicly traded company, we are proud of our initial steps in a long-term commitment to maximize value and innovate for a healthier future.”

Kontoor’s global sustainability strategy focuses on three pillars with specific measurable goals, aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, to track progress and ensure accountability.

Planet: Wrangler and Lee have a longstanding commitment to environmental stewardship and compliance. One example is Indigood™ foam dye which eliminates water from the denim dyeing process. Kontoor has helped bring this revolutionary process to market and is exploring new emerging technologies that further reduce water use in the denim production process. Through this effort, among others, Kontoor sets goals to:

  • Save 10 billion liters of water by 2025;
  • Power 100 percent of owned and operated facilities with renewable energy by 2025; and
  • Establish a science-based climate target by 2022.

Product: Kontoor strives to use sustainable suppliers, materials and operations for the millions of products it produces each year. The company has focused on sustainable cotton sourcing practices by prioritizing regenerative agriculture principles that have the potential to drive three times the amount of carbon into soils over conventional practices. Wrangler has invested in farmer training to promote these principles through the use of cover crops, complex rotation and conservation tillage. Through its global product strategy, Kontoor sets goals to:

  • Source 100-percent sustainable raw materials, including forest-derived materials and animal-derived materials by 2023, cotton by 2025 and synthetics by 2030; and
  • Use 100-percent preferred chemistry by 2023.

People: Kontoor is committed to being active and engaged members of the communities where it operates and to collaborating with the company’s suppliers for safe, secure workplaces for every person in its supply chain. In addition to Kontoor’s Inclusion & Diversity strategy, which outlines specific goals and detailed action plans, the company sets goals, as it relates to worker well-being, to:

  • Work only with factories that support a worker well-being or community development initiative by 2025.

“Kontoor Brands is focused on driving meaningful improvements across the apparel production process, which can only be achieved through collaborations for greater transparency,” said Roian Atwood, senior director, Global Sustainable Business. “We have an opportunity to address some of our industry’s most pressing global issues and are committed to being a good corporate citizen as we operate in the world.”

In addition to announcing these new goals, Kontoor released its first sustainability report today, summarizing the company’s global impacts during the 2019 calendar year. Through this reporting effort, Kontoor took a holistic approach to stakeholder engagement and materiality assessment, leveraging a digital listening tool in addition to engaging in one-on-one interviews, roundtable discussions and other forums in an effort to ensure multiple perspectives from diverse stakeholders.

“We aspire to be a global leader in sustainability, helping pave the way for the future of the industry through innovation and action. We will regularly report on our progress toward our goals and our overall environmental impacts,” Baxter added. “Even as we navigate the uncertainty related to the global pandemic, we are firmly committed to sustainable business practices and operating with the highest standards of ethics and transparency.”

Posted September 29, 2020

Source: Kontoor Brands, Inc.

SHOWA, Choctaw-Kaul Announce Manufacturing & Distribution Partnership To Expand U.S. PPE Glove Supply

MENLO, Ga. — September 29, 2020 — SHOWA®, a U.S. manufacturer of nitrile, single-use PPE gloves, and Choctaw-Kaul today announced a strategic partnership to meet accelerating U.S. demand for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) gloves that are critical to protecting American frontline workers and citizens during the coronavirus pandemic.

The U.S. remains highly vulnerable to COVID-19 PPE demand shocks. Not only are less than half of all PPE (gloves, masks, respirators, etc.) manufactured in North America, but more than 95 percent of PPE gloves are currently made in Asia (predominantly China, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand) — which means the U.S. is vulnerable to foreign supply chain disruptions. Meeting domestic demand for PPE gloves requires partners with the manufacturing and distribution resources — along with a proven track record of delivering high-quality, affordable equipment to commercial and government customers.

SHOWA is currently the only U.S. manufacturer of the nitrile, single-use PPE gloves that front-line industrial, service, transportation, healthcare and government workers rely on. In late 2019, SHOWA invested significantly in its Fayette, Alabama glove manufacturing facility, and now has the production capacity to meet a 5-year Nitrile glove supply need — today. Choctaw-Kaul is a Native American owned manufacturer and distributer of gloves, personal protective equipment, safety equipment and supplies, and power tools. The organization has more than 100 years of manufacturing and distribution experience across the globe.

“The combination of SHOWA’s manufacturing capabilities and Choctaw-Kaul’s extensive US distribution network will help ensure that the highest quality PPE gloves quickly get to organizations and individuals who need them most,” said Richard Heppell, COO Americas, Oceania & EMEA, SHOWA. “Domestically sourced PPE for U.S. frontline workers would reduce reliance on unpredictable and often unreliable overseas supply sources, in turn protecting people and lives through the pandemic and beyond.”

Kenny Tubby, president, Choctaw-Kaul, added: “Our mission has always been to lead our industry in providing safe work environments by supplying quality products and services at a competitive price point, and today’s announced partnership with SHOWA greatly advances that mission. Two industry leaders are coming together to manufacture and distribute American-made products that improve the health and safety of Americans.”

Posted September 29, 2020

Source: SHOWA

University of Georgia Study Finds Neck Gaiters As Good As Masks in Reducing Droplet Spread

ATHENS, Ga. — September 29, 2020 — University of Georgia researchers have demonstrated that neck gaiters can provide a level of protection equivalent to masks when used as a face-covering.

Researchers from the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences and the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences sought to test the effectiveness of various face masks and gaiters in reducing the disbursement of respiratory droplets during speech.

The gaiters were compared to no mask at all, as well as to multiple two-layer, washable, breathable cloth masks (as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help prevent the spread of COVID-19).

Materials tested consisted of the following:

  • Four of the top-selling, two-layer face masks offered on Amazon.com
    • To qualify, masks had to receive no less than 2,000 consumer reviews with an average rating in excess of 4.
    • Masks were made of various materials including cotton and spandex.
  • Five of the top-selling, single-layer gaiters offered on Amazon.com
    • To qualify, gaiters had to receive no less than 4,000 consumer reviews with an average rating in excess of 4.
    • Gaiters were made of various materials including polyester, spandex and nylon.
  • Three multi-layer gaiters offered on Mission.com
    • Gaiters were 2 and 3 layers, made of polyester and spandex.

Study results were as follows:

  • Single-layer gaiters provided a 77 percent average reduction in respiratory droplets compared to wearing no face covering at all.
  • Two-layer masks provided an 81 percent average reduction in respiratory droplets compared to wearing no face covering at all.
  • Multi-layer gaiters provided a 96% average reduction in respiratory droplets compared to wearing no face covering at all.
  • The results are consistent with results from a recent Virginia Tech study which showed layered neck gaiters provided similar performance to the cloth masks when tested on mannequins.

The UGA study mirrored the protocol recently developed by Duke University and published by Science Advances: “Low-cost measurement of facemask efficacy for filtering expelled droplets during speech,” with additional enhancements for more accurate results.

Subjects spoke “Stay Healthy People” five times into each of the materials for consistency, and droplets were monitored over a 40-second period. A computer algorithm calculated the number of remaining respiratory droplets over time to determine the efficacy of each material’s ability to reduce respiratory droplets from the baseline of “no mask.” Each material was tested three times to increase accuracy and statistical significance.

Results were calculated using the droplet levels at both the 30-second and 40-second marks. Enhancements to the original study were also put in place. Instead of using a HEPA-filter, UGA scientists used a class 1000 clean room as well as a 3D printed box to dramatically diminish existing particles in the air, thereby reducing the amount of “noise” or unwanted particles from appearing in the results. MISSION, a leading provider of textile accessories, provided the funding necessary to conduct the study.

Leading the study was Suraj Sharma, professor of Polymer, Fiber and Textiles Sciences in the FACS Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors, with his master’s student Mazbah Uddin, and Ph.D. student Anuradhi Liyanapathiranage.

Co-Lead on the study was Tho Nguyen, associate professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, with his Ph.D. students Hoang Luong and Minh Pham.

“Per CDC guidelines, using face covers to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is of the utmost importance,” Sharma said. “However, recent media reports have questioned the effectiveness of gaiters as face covers. We hope this study will provide valuable evidence and insight to help answer those questions. In sum, the level of protection provided by a face covering appears to be substantially driven by the number and quality of layers of material and not whether it’s in the form of a gaiter or a mask.”

Posted September 29, 2020

Source: University of Georgia

Helly Hansen Reaches Next Level Of Responsible Waterproof/Breathable Technology With New LIFA INFINITY PRO™

OSLO, Norway — September 29, 2020 — A driver of innovative technology and design, Helly Hansen continues to work to push the boundaries of professional grade gear. Founded in 1877, the Norwegian-based brand has never stopped looking forward, drawing on the extensive knowledge of their heritage and working with professionals to achieve the cutting edge of technical outdoor gear. This season, Helly Hansen is launching LIFA INFINITY PRO™, the brand’s most innovative and sustainable waterproof/breathable technology to date.

Challenging the industry norm, LIFA INFINITY PRO™ is a technology that pushes the envelope in apparel design. Through advanced textile engineering, it’s made without any added chemical treatments, making it truly unique and highly innovative.

Using LIFA® technology, a proprietary Helly Hansen fiber that’s lightweight and hydrophobic, LIFA INFINITY PRO features a fully waterproof/breathable LIFA INFINITY™ membrane and professional grade durable water repellent performance, achieved without the use of chemicals. Combining the new membrane with 100-percent LIFA hydrophobic face fabric, LIFA INFINITY PRO is groundbreaking, meeting the extreme waterproofness and breathability of HELLY TECH® Professional construction. With everlasting water repellent protection that never needs to be reproofed with chemical treatment, the technology delivers long-lasting, responsible and superior professional grade performance.

“We worked with nearly a dozen ski professionals to develop a new technology with the highest level of waterproof/breathable performance that’s also responsibly made,” said Philip Tavell, Category anaging director for Ski, Helly Hansen. “Drawing on the knowledge and expertise of a 140-plus year heritage, LIFA INFINITY PRO is our most innovative and sustainable waterproof/breathable technology to date, and we’re excited to launch it this season.”

The new LIFA INFINITY PRO technology will be featured in the Elevation Infinity Shell Jacket, part of the ULLR collection designed for freeride skiers, and the Odin Mountain Infinity Shell Jacket, part of the Odin collection, built for backcountry ski touring.

Posted September 29, 2020

Source: Helly Hansen

Cortland Biomedical Closes 2020 Fiscal Year With Continued Investments For Increasing Medical Textile Innovation

CORTLAND, N.Y. — September 29, 2020 — During a year marked by unprecedented global challenges, Cortland Biomedical remained steadfast in its commitment to advance the possibilities for less invasive surgical procedures through the development of advanced medical textile constructions. The full-service medical textiles product development partner — which provides access to a full- spectrum of engineering, design and manufacturing capabilities — started the year by unveiling plans for a state-of-the-art facility strategically designed by textile engineers. Despite the devastating impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had, both locally and around the world, Cortland Biomedical remains on-track to complete the transition to the new facility in Q1 of FY2021 and has continued to expand its textile manufacturing capabilities through the addition of knitting, weaving, and high-carrier count braiding capabilities, in addition to its existing braiding capabilities.

Historically there has been a lack of communication between the medical and textile fields and a reluctance by textile manufacturers to disrupt the status quo. Cortland Biomedical is seeking to drive a shift in the industry by supporting practices conducive to true innovation. It’s not just smaller fibers and thinner fabrics that are driving biomedical textile innovation. Cortland Biomedical has revisited the fundamentals of textile technology with design concepts that incorporate new methods of changing fabric density, pattern, and fiber orientation, resulting in products that get closer to biomimicry than ever before. The company hosted a customer appreciation event in Anaheim during MD&M West in February, and has since continued to evolve its businesses practices to maximize engagement and collaboration with customers while adhering to COVID-safe procedures.

“In the face of fear and uncertainty, it’s more imperative than ever to continue to support the development of next-generation medical devices that can improve and even save lives,” said John Greco, vice president, sales, Cortland Biomedical. “We’re proud of our team for being able to maintain operations and provide timely responses while adapting to the personal and professional challenges created by the pandemic. Textiles are imperative for enabling lower profile, more biocompatible devices and it is important to all of us at Cortland to continue to meet the needs of our customers across the medical device community and ultimately the end-user patients despite these trying times.”

The company has a long history of biomedical fabric development and offers a full range of services to create biomedical textiles for applications, including but not limited to orthopedics, cardiovascular, general surgery, sports medicine and robotic surgery. In FY2020, it expanded its textile post-processing capabilities with the addition of scouring, annealing, and laser cutting, as well as enhanced its analytical and biological laboratory capabilities. Cortland Biomedical ensures that the products it develops meet the design criteria established up-front by its customer by applying the expertise of its seasoned design and engineering team. It has continued to invest in engineering and sales to support its strong new product development pipeline across various market segments.

Posted September 29, 2020

Source: Cortland Biomedical

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