INTERNATIONAL
The innovation leader in functional materials, HeiQ, has teamed up with Girbau to use HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03 in the washing process to impart antiviral and antimicrobial effects to clothing and textiles. Girbau, manufacturer and supplier of comprehensive professional laundry solutions for the industrial, commercial and retail sectors, announces the launch of HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03, an antiviral and antimicrobial textile technology applied to industrial laundry services for its healthcare, hospitality and industrial customers can food industry, where hygiene and safety come first.
Consorci Hospitalari de Vic (Barcelona) is on board the process and has already started treating its laundry with HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03. HeiQ and Gibrau also plan to provide solutions for public laundromats and offer branded HeiQ Viroblock dispensers to consumers.
The partnership declares that the Swiss textile technology HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03 is among the first textile technologies in the world to be effective against SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) and from more than 150 brands worldwide to over 1 billion face masks have been applied. HeiQ Viroblock consists of 100% cosmetic ingredients and combines two attack mechanisms that lead to over 99.99% destruction of various types of viruses and bacteria. This is evident from tests carried out in accordance with the ISO 18184 and ISO 20743 standards.
HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03 is added to textiles in two ways. One method is to add it to the textile and permanently fix it to the fibers during the textile manufacturing process in the textile mill before a fabric is cut and sewn into finished goods. For products that are not delivered with treatment from the factory, a diluted formulation can be sprayed onto the finished product and air dried. Both processes convert the textiles into an antiviral and antimicrobial surface. This is the first time that an industrial antiviral treatment is applied during the washing process, adding extra protection to clothes already on the market and providing protection throughout their life. This also shows that HeiQ Viroblock has the potential to become an aftertreatment product for washed goods.
As part of this collaboration, Girbau will initially focus on a B2B offering, with a focus on improved antimicrobial and antiviral protection of clothing and textiles in the healthcare and hospitality industries.
“I am excited about the partnership between HeiQ and Girbau as it represents an important milestone on our way to developing textile treatment solutions that have a positive impact on people. Particularly in the current fearful circumstances, companies have a responsibility to offer solutions that protect their communities. This partnership is another positive leap in terms of differentiating Girbau's offering in the laundry sector. The partnership shows once again how two innovative companies can contribute to a better world through joint forces, "said Serge Joris, President of Girbau." The following sentence says it all: If you want to go fast, you go alone. If you want to go far, you work together. "
“This collaboration with Girbau opens up a new method for adding anti-viral properties of HeiQ Viroblock to textile products through post-treatment. Our antimicrobial technology, which has won the Swiss Technology Award, is now available to protect more textiles and benefit more people, ”said HeiQ co-founder and CEO of the group. Carlo Centonze.
