WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — June 15, 2020 — A team of Purdue University innovators hopes its new technology provides a more business-friendly option to utilize sustainable cellulose nanomaterials for use in vehicles, food packaging and other manufactured items.

The Purdue team developed a new way for manufacturers to use nanocellulose — a green nanomaterial derived from natural sources such as plant matter. Normally to process nanocellulose, solvents or other dispersants are usually added to the mixture to improve the material’s dispersion in polymers.

“These methods can be very expensive for manufacturers, who must add additional processes and machinery to comply with emission standards that may be impacted by the use of the solvents,” said Jeffrey Youngblood, a professor of materials engineering in Purdue’s College of Engineering

The Purdue innovators created a method that involves mixing the nanocellulose in additives for the polymer material, such as plasticizer, and then compounding that mixture into the polymer instead of directly mixing them.

This technique could be applicable to a wide variety of polymers, including nylons used in the automotive industry and polylactic acid and ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer used in food packaging. It enables nanocellulose to be easily extruded or injection molded into useful products with better properties that are more sustainable.

“We created a way to use the additives that are normally in polymers as the ‘solvent’ to disperse the nanocellulose during melt processing,” Youngblood said. “In this way, you still have increased properties, but without the pieces of the manufacturing process that require additional emissions-lowering components. This makes the process of using the nanocellulose, which is biodegradable, more sustainable as well.”

Youngblood said the main advantages to the Purdue technique for large scale polymer production are:

• Solvent-free compounding of nanocellulose into polymers.
• Homogenous mixture of hydrophilic nanocellulose and hydrophobic polymer

The innovators have worked with the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization to patent the technology. They are looking for additional partners and those interested in licensing the technology. For more information, contact Dipak Narula of OTC at dnarula@prf.org and reference track code 68912.

Posted June 15, 2020

Source: Purdue University/Jeffrey Youngblood

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — June 12, 2020 — Crown Health Care Laundry Services, the Pensacola, Fla.-based independent full-service healthcare laundry processor and linen company serving the southeastern United States for more than 60 years, has recently achieved the Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification for its Spartanburg, S.C. facility. This location joins the following Crown facilities that also carry the Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification: Selma, Ala., Lakeland and Pensacola in Fla., Quitman, Ga., Columbia, Miss., and Bishopville, S.C. Hygienically Clean is the quantified, validated standard and measure for hygienically clean textiles in North America since 2011, and achieving this certification reflects their commitment to best management practices (BMPs) in laundering as verified by on-site inspection and their capability to produce hygienically clean textiles as quantified by ongoing microbial testing based on established hygienically clean healthcare textile methods and standards.

The Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification confirms the organization’s continuing dedication to infection prevention, compliance with recognized industry standards and processing healthcare textiles using BMPs as described in its quality assurance documentation, a focal point for Hygienically Clean inspectors’ evaluation. The independent, third-party inspection must also confirm essential evidence that:

• Employees are properly trained and protected;
• Managers understand regulatory requirements;
• OSHA-compliant; and
• Physical plant operates effectively.

To achieve certification initially, laundries pass three rounds of outcome-based microbial testing, indicating that their processes are producing Hygienically Clean Healthcare textiles and diminished presence of yeast, mold and harmful bacteria. They also must pass a facility inspection. To maintain their certification, they must pass quarterly RODAC and semi-annual USP 62 testing (RODAC results less than or equal to 20 cfu per square diameter and USP 62 results must show an absence of specified microorganisms) to ensure that as laundry conditions change, such as water quality, textile fabric composition and wash chemistry, laundered product quality is consistently maintained. Re-inspection occurs every two to three years.

This process eliminates subjectivity by focusing on outcomes and results that verify textiles cleaned in these facilities meet appropriate hygienically clean standards and BMPs for hospitals, surgery centers, medical offices, nursing homes and other medical facilities.

Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification acknowledges laundries’ effectiveness in protecting healthcare operations by verifying quality control procedures in linen, uniform and facility services operations related to the handling of textiles containing blood and other potentially infectious materials.

Certified laundries use processes, chemicals and BMPs acknowledged by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, American National Standards Institute and others. Introduced by TRSA in 2012, Hygienically Clean Healthcare brought to North America the international cleanliness standards for Hygienically Clean healthcare linens and garments used worldwide by the Certification Association for Professional Textile Services and the European Committee for Standardization

Objective experts in epidemiology, infection control, nursing and other healthcare professions work with Hygienically Clean launderers to ensure the certification continues to enforce the highest standards for producing clean healthcare textiles.

“Congratulations to Crown on their most recent certification,” said Joseph Ricci, TRSA president and CEO. “This achievement proves their commitment to infection prevention and that their laundries take every step possible to prevent human illness.”

Hygienically Clean reflects the evolution of healthcare laundry certification in light of growing global concerns about infection control, documenting practices that ensure elimination of potentially harmful microbial content while adding quantifiable verification of continuous improvement in overall cleanliness.

Posted June 13, 2020

Source: TRSA

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — June 12, 2020 — TRSA, the Association for Linen, Uniform and Facility Services, is hosting its Inaugural Workwear and Facility Services Conference, Sept. 22-23, 2020, at the Embassy Suites O-Hare-Rosemont in Rosemont, Ill. The in-person event provides opportunities to network, learn, and share with executive and management colleagues providing uniforms, workwear, garments and facility services to businesses, manufacturing, food processing, manufacturing and others. The Conference combines general sessions and interactive panels for sharing best practices, emerging issues and innovations. Participants will gain immediately applicable knowledge, skills, strategies, and tactics to advance your understanding and knowledge of workwear and facilities processing, service and management.

The conference will kick off with an executive panel discussion on COVID-19 and Plant Operations that will provide insights into how COVID-19 has transformed the production and labor markets for national uniform service chains and their perspectives on how the coronavirus could impact the practices of plant operations relating to hygiene, supplying facility services products and more. The following panelists will participate:

• Jim Buik, TRSA chair and president, Roscoe co., will be the facilitator;
• Bill Ross, senior vice president, UniFirst Corp.;
• Stefan Schurter, senior vice president, cleanroom services, Prudential Overall Supply; and
• Art Wake, president, uniform services, Aramark Uniforms and Apparel.

Conference speakers and presenters are experts from the linen, uniform and facility services industry. They’ll identify a wide range of everyday associated with keeping laundries operational and profitable. Benefit from their expertise on the following topics that will improve your business:

• Increasing Revenue Per Stop;
• Rerouted Relationships;
• Stockroom Management;
• Who Has the Highest Productivity?; and
• Networking Reception.

The conference will close with a first-hand look at the Roscoe Co., and UniFirst Corp. plants. These tours and follow-up debriefing sessions will explain how their business philosophies and use of current technology impact operations.

Individuals who earned the TRSA Certified Professional Laundry Manager (CPLM) designation can receive 12 credit hours toward recertification by attending the Inaugural Workwear and Facility Services Conference’s educational sessions and plant tours.

Posted June 12, 2020

Source: TRSA


GREENSBORO, N.C. — June 11, 2020 — Cone Denim® is pleased to launch its Pride Selvage Denim in honor of Pride Month. Pride Denim is the newest fabric in the Cone® Community Collection to show Cone’s support of a wider and more inclusive community. Cone will donate a portion of proceeds from the sale of its Pride fabric and accessories to the HRC Human Rights Campaign whose work focuses on achieving equality for the LGBTQ Community.

“The importance of equality, inclusion and unity resonates across our world,” said Steve Maggard, president, Cone Denim. “The Cone Community Collection offers an additional voice to these principles and a way for individuals to visibly support those causes and communities that are important to them. Denim is the most globally iconic fabric and one that people identify with and personally connect to when they wear it. We are pleased to offer our Pride denim as an expression of support for the LGBTQ community.”

The Cone® Community Collection fabrics are designed with neutrality in mind and are perfect for both Men’s and Women’s collections. These limited edition fabrics have a timeless authentic character and a brilliant optimistic indigo shade with just the right stretch for comfort. The Pride Denim incorporates the rainbow colors of the Pride flag into the selvage of the fabric.”

Pride Denim fabric and accessories made with the special denim are available on the White Oak Shop. Accessory items include a large tote bag, wallet and travel kit, all crafted using the unique rainbow colored selvage. Smaller quantities of Pride denim fabric are also available on the Shop. Larger volumes of Pride Denim are available for order through a Cone Denim sales representative.

Maggard continued: “Denim breaks through boundaries and speaks to many individuals. Our hope is that by designing fabrics that have broad appeal we can reach as many brands and people as possible in support of meaningful causes.”

Posted June 11, 2020

Source: Cone Denim