SHANGHAI — June 19, 2017 — One of the world’s leading standards organizations, ASTM International, and its affiliate the Safety Equipment Institute (SEI), will host events, workshops, and high-level meetings in and around Shanghai, China, as part of an “Asia Roadshow” June 22-23.

Executives from ASTM International will visit both China-based, and multinational entities to highlight how the region uses ASTM International’s value-added tools and services, as well as SEI certification, to drive commerce and trade.

The list of visits and outreach events will include:

• Fireman’s Shield;
• Glam and Grit;
• BP;
• SINOPEC;
• Orient Intertek;
• Runningland Metrology and Testing;
• INSPEC Kunshan Laboratory; and
• Afton Chemicals Suzhou Co.

“ASTM International is pleased to have many members and partners in China, and we hope to build on that,” says Teresa Cendrowska, ASTM International’s vice president of global cooperation, who will lead the Road Show. “We will share how ASTM International’s process, its products, and its services from our new affiliate SEI can continue to help China grow and succeed.” The team plans to emphasize offerings such as ASTM International’s International Laboratory Directory, Training and E-Learning and Proficiency Testing Programs, which help strengthen lab performance and ensure market acceptance.

There will be a large kickoff event on June 22 to help educate participants about the important role that certification plays in global market acceptance. This event will feature remarks from a representative of the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision, and INSPEC, a personal protective equipment testing laboratory that works with SEI.

The Road Show will also highlight how ASTM International standards are globally-accepted worldwide because they adhere to the World Trade Organization’s principles for the development of international standards.

Additionally, ASTM International staff will meet with top officials from the Certification and Accreditation Administration of the People’s Republic of China (CNCA) and the China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS). ASTM International has held a Memorandum of Understanding with the Standardization Administration of the People’s Republic of China (SAC) for more than a decade, with 21 additional MoUs throughout Asia.

Posted June 19, 2017

Source: ASTM International

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — June 19, 2017 — AmeriPride Services’ Memphis, Tenn., laundry has again achieved Hygienically Clean (HC) Healthcare certification, reflecting its 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.

The 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.

The Memphis laundry was first certified in 2014. AmeriPride has other U.S. Hygienically Clean Healthcare certified facilities in Little Rock, Ark.; Phoenix; Watkinsville, Ga.; Topeka, Kan.; Bemidji, Minn., and Twin Falls, Minn.; Springfield, Mo.; Omaha, Neb.; and Lubbock, Texas. The company’s Canadian Linen and Uniform Service facility in Lethbridge, Alberta, is also Hygienically Clean Healthcare certified.

Certified facilities pass three rounds of outcome-based microbial testing, indicating that their processes are producing Hygienically Clean Healthcare textiles and zero presence of yeast, mold and harmful bacteria. To maintain their certification, laundry plants must pass quarterly testing to ensure that as laundry conditions change, such as water quality, textile fabric composition and wash chemistry, laundered product quality is consistently maintained.

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 through testing and inspections that scrutinize quality control procedures in textile 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 in 2012, Hygienically Clean Healthcare brought to North America the international cleanliness standards for 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 AmeriPride on their certifications,” said Joseph Ricci, TRSA president and CEO. “This achievement proves their ongoing commitment to infection prevention and that their laundry facilities take every step possible to prevent human illness.”

Posted June 19, 2017

Source: TRSA

ZURICH — June 15, 2017 — The OEKO-TEX® Association has certified Tuft & Needle foam mattresses according to the STANDARD 100 by Oeko-Tex, indicating that they have been tested to be free from harmful levels of more than 300 concerning chemicals. Tuft & Needle is the first company to achieve certification of a complete mattress system. The Tuft & Needle mattresses meet Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex Class 1 criteria, the most stringent of the four Oeko-Tex classes. The Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex certification also confirms that Tuft & Needle mattresses fully comply with US Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) regulations.

“A good night’s sleep requires both a fantastic mattress and peace of mind,” says Aaron Bata, Head of Customer Experience of Tuft & Needle. “The Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex certification reassures our customers that their Tuft & Needle mattress doesn’t contain harmful chemicals so they can rest even easier. Plus, as an independent, third party certification with a trackable identification number that consumers can verify online, Oeko-Tex fits right into our company’s commitment to plain speaking transparency and integrity.”

Tuft & Needle was founded in 2012 in Phoenix with a mission to transform the mattress market. Tuft & Needle developed a new business model and disrupted the mattress industry by selling one style of a high quality T&N Adaptive® Foam mattress directly to consumers online for a fair price in an honest, straightforward manner. The Tuft & Needle mattress is manufactured in the USA and comes with a 100-Night Sleep Trial, free returns and a no-gimmicks 10-­year warranty.

“We applaud Tuft & Needle for being the first company to obtain this voluntary certification for their complete mattress system,” says Ben Mead who represents Oeko-Tex in North America.  “The Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex certification indicates real commitment to producing quality mattresses that are safe for everyone in the family to enjoy.”

Posted June 15, 2017

Source: The Oeko-Tex Association

SEATTLE, Wash. — June 15, 2017 — DuPont Industrial Biosciences (DuPont) announced that Dr. Jan Koninckx, global business director for DuPont Biofuels, will be speaking at Bloomberg’s 2017 Sustainable Business Summit: Seattle this Thursday, June 15, at 4:10 p.m. PST. Koninckx will join other leading environmental and sustainability officials on a panel titled “Developing a Corporate Renewables Strategy.”

“Consumers want to buy products that are more sustainable, without sacrificing on performance or price,” said Koninckx. “DuPont’s technology is allowing our customers do just that – reinvent their supply chains using more renewable inputs and coming up with profitable products that benefit consumers and the planet.”

DuPont’s investment in innovation has yielded advancements from cellulosic ethanol technology to biomaterials like DuPont™Sorona®, a patented sustainable fiber made with renewable plant-based ingredients, to a laundry detergent co-developed withProcter & Gamble that makes it possible for consumers to wash their clothes in cold water, saving massive amounts of energy.

Koninckx is responsible for DuPont’s biofuels programs and business development across the globe. In this role, he is leading the charge on the development, commercialization and licensing of cellulosic ethanol – a fuel source that offers 90 percent fewer GHG emissions as compared to petroleum. DuPont is a leader in the field, owning the largest cellulosic biorefinery, using corn stover – the leaves, stalks and cobs left in a field after harvest. DuPont is working in countries around the world to license this technology, bringing cutting-edge science and highly skilled jobs to rural areas in Europe, Asia and beyond.

Bloomberg’s Annual Sustainable Business Summit will examine how companies are innovating through sustainable business models, as well as how customers and investors are prioritizing sustainability when evaluating companies. Influential business and investment leaders and top environmental and sustainability officials will join forces to discuss how sustainability factors can be incorporated into business and investment decision-making processes.

DuPont Industrial Biosciences works with customers across a wide range of industries to make products and industrial processes more efficient and sustainable. Through a unique combination of agriculture, biotechnology, chemistry and material science capabilities, we advance market-driven, biobased solutions to meet the needs of a growing population, while protecting our environment for future generations.

Posted June 15, 2017

Source: DuPont Industrial Biosciences (DuPont)

MUNICH/UNTERFÖHRING — June 14, 2017 — Clearly feeling the untouched vastness, the deep feeling of freedom as well as breathtaking moments of silence in the midst of the wilderness – how long will we still be able to do that? Trump withdraws from the Kyoto Protocols, the G20 states will vote on urgently needed measures against the massive waste pollution of the oceans and Greenpeace denounces lacking upcycling efforts of international trading companies in its recent DETOX study. But why should we wait until politicians and the industry finally do something? With its “Think about what on earth you’re doing to the environment by wearing outdoor apparel you don’t think about” advertisement claim, Sympatex wants to reveal that each single outdoor fan can make their personal contribution to environmental protection already today.

Awareness, education and the necessary sense of responsibility towards our environment – all this can and should be decision drivers for the right outdoor item of clothing in the future. Alternatives that don’t necessitate any compromise on the required performance already largely exist on the market. Be it fluorocarbon-free membranes and treatments, fully recycled and recyclable functional materials or the possibility to buy 100-percent climate-neutral end products. As an ecological pioneer among functional textile specialists, Sympatex reveals that all this is possible already today and calls upon the entire industry to follow its example.

“Enjoying with reason — this is the incentive of our new campaign. It is high time and the technology is available — this has also been revealed by our ‘Design Hackathon‘* where we recently created the most sustainable functional jacket 4.0 together with 20 bloggers and influencers. We have to keep a sharp eye on each other in industry instead of still trying to start a hare”, explained Dr. Rüdiger Fox, CEO of Sympatex Technologies GmbH.

From the middle of June onwards, the campaign will be launched on different print and digital platforms that have been created by Sympatex together with INKCorporated and TERRITORY webguerillas in Munich. The different print motives are available via this link: http://www.sympatex.com/en/information/145/press

Posted June 14, 2017

Source: Sympatex Technologies

LONDON — June 14, 2017 — DuPont Industrial Biosciences (DuPont) is the 2017 European Bio-based Materials Company of the Year, according to leading market research firm Frost & Sullivan. The company was honored with the award for its innovation in the bio-based materials market and its commitment to shaping future development in the industry.

“From the carpets in your office to the clothes on your back, DuPont innovation in biomaterials offers high-performance with less impact on the environment,” said Michael Saltzberg, global business director for biomaterials at DuPont.

DuPont continues to show commitment to researching and developing technologies that build on its proud heritage of materials innovations. As an industry leader, the company has shown both commercial and pre-commercial success in developing new biomaterials that meet the needs of customers and consumers worldwide.

For example, DuPont™ Sorona®, a high-performance, patented polymer is made with a renewable, plant-based ingredient, for use in everything from carpets to ski jackets to sarees because it brings exceptional softness, inherent stain resistance, and uncompromising durability to a variety of applications.

“The successful development of DuPont’s versatile bio-based polymer comprised of 37 percent renewable plant-based ingredients, Sorona®, demonstrates the company’s commitment to implementing innovative practices that lower reliance on fossil fuels and elevate product quality and manufacturing efficiency,” said Frost & Sullivan Vice President Leonidas Dokos. “Additionally, fiber made with Sorona® polymer possesses exceptional softness, high durability, stretch, and stain resistance, and often outperforms petroleum-based products.”

DuPont continues to bring new biomaterials innovations forward. In early 2016, DuPont and Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) announced a breakthrough technology that produces a revolutionary biobased monomer, furan dicarboxylic methyl ester (FDME), from a renewable feedstock. The groundbreaking process has potential to expand the materials landscape with applications in packaging, textiles and engineering plastics.

Until last year, FDME had long been sought-after and researched, but had not yet been available at commercial scale and at reasonable cost. ADM and DuPont have taken the initial step in the process of bringing FDME to market by moving forward on the scale-up phase of the project. An integrated 60 ton-per-year demonstration plant is currently under construction in Decatur, Illinois, and is expected to begin operations in the second half of 2017. The facility will provide potential customers with sufficient product quantities for testing and research as well as the required basic data for a planned commercial-scale plant.

“After thorough research and tracking industry best practices, there is no question that DuPont is a standout in the bio-based materials space. Frost & Sullivan believes that DuPont offers the industry innovative biomaterials, design and management,” said Dokos. “On behalf of my team at Frost & Sullivan, we’re proud to present DuPont with the 2017 European Bio-based Materials Company of the Year Award.”

DuPont — one of the first companies to publicly establish environmental goals more than 25 years ago — has broadened its sustainability commitments beyond internal footprint reduction to include market-driven targets for both revenue and research and development investment. The goals are tied directly to business growth, specifically to the development of safer and environmentally improved new products for key global markets.

Posted June 14, 2017

Source: DuPont Industrial Biosciences