HeiQ offers proprietary “Viroblock” to CHT, JINTEX & Piedmont

April 30, 2020

HeiQ announces that it offers proprietary formulation technology, HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03, an antimicrobial textile treatment tested effective against coronavirus, to its peers, calling for a united effort to help fight the global pandemic

Striving to help advance the global fight against coronavirus on textiles, HeiQ recently launched HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03, an antimicrobial textile treatment proven effective against human coronavirus (229E) in face mask testing, significantly enhancing the antiviral log reduction from 2.90 of untreated face masks to 4.5, a 30 times improvement with over 99.99% reduction of virus infectivity in minutes. It is tested to last at least 30 washes. Since its launch the company has been utilizing its full capacity of 145 tons per day in its four manufacturing sites on three continents.

In his interview with CNN, HeiQ co-founder and Group CEO Carlo Centonze expressed the urgent need to maximize the impact of the international textile industry in fighting the global pandemic, even if that meant sharing HeiQ’s proprietary technology. HeiQ has since offered to share its HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03 technology to textile industry peers via a free licence. Sharing the formula, manufacturing protocol and technical guidance will permit the manufacture and commercialization of HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03 to meet the regulatory compliance and performance requirement. Licensees will be required to test their treated fabrics with licensed third-party testing institutes to establish efficacy and quality as per HeiQ’s standards. Use of the “HeiQ Viroblock” trademark in relation to treated articles will require trademark authorization directly by HeiQ to ensure truthful and compliant claims.

“There is not a moment to lose. We must act now and act fast to produce textiles for hospitals and every frontline healthcare worker that are more resistant to pathogenic viruses and bacteria. The international textile industry must do our part and work together in a united effort to protect textiles and help in the struggle to reduce the risk and speed of contamination and transmission around the world”, says Carlo Centonze, HeiQ Group CEO. “Reducing transmission and infection rates is the only way to re-open our economies swiftly and maintain jobs in the textile industry,” he added.

Ralf Kattanek, Group Vice President Textiles of CHT Group said, “We believe by using CHT’s textile expertise and production capacities globally that we can play a key role in mitigating the impact for the healthcare workers and our industry partners by maximizing our reach swiftly.”

 David Juang, Chairman of Taiwanese textile chemicals manufacturer JINTEX Group adds “We want to show leadership in taking decisive action in a coordinated effort.”

“HeiQ has enlisted the Piedmont Chemical Group to help support its North American production and distribution, in order to assure maximum product availability during the crisis.We are here to join the fight and support HeiQ and our textile industry with all we have” says Rick Wilson, CEO of US based Piedmont Chemical Industries.

HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03 is a combination of vesicle and silver technologies using HeiQ’s registered silver technologies for antiviral and antibacterial (together antimicrobial) effect. This is accomplished through binding permanently to viral sulfur groups and using HeiQ’s fatty vesicle technology (Liposomes) as a booster that helps deplete swiftly the virus membrane (pericapsis) of its protective cholesterol layer, thereby destroying the enveloped virus. HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03 can be applied to many textile surfaces including face masks, air filters, medical gowns, curtains, mattresses, bed linens, drapes and more.

For more information about Coronavirus, visit the CDC website. To learn more about licensing HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03, email info@heiq.com.

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About HeiQ

Founded in 2005 as a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), HeiQ is a leader in textile innovation creating some of the most effective, durable and high-performance textile technologies on the market today. HeiQ’s purpose is to improve the lives of billions of people by perfecting an everyday product: Textiles. Combining three areas of expertise – scientific research, specialty materials manufacturing and consumer ingredient branding – HeiQ is the ideal innovation partner to create differentiating and sustainable textile products and capture the added value at the point of sale. With a total capacity of 35’000 tons per year HeiQ manufactures in the USA, Switzerland and Australia serving its chemical specialties in over 60 countries worldwide.

About CHT

The CHT Group, medium-sized global player for specialty chemistry, is worldwide active in development, production and sales. CHT Germany GmbH in Tübingen is the headquarters of the group of companies which focuses on sustainable chemical products and process solutions. TEXTILE SOLUTIONS of CHT improve the quality, functionality as well as look and purity of textiles and optimize their manufacturing processes. By bundling the strengths of the complete group further innovative products, applications or processes are permanently developed and vast technical support is offered within the SCIENCE & SERVICE SOLUTIONS. Highly qualified specialists work in state-of-the art laboratories for development, analytics and application technique in order to work out ideas and solutions that meet the latest requirements. The CHT Group with its own production and sales locations is represented by more than 25 companies worldwide and has around 2,200 employees.

About JINTEX

JINTEX Corporation Ltd is Taiwan supplier and manufacturer in chemical additives industry. JINTEX GROUP has been offering high quality textile auxiliaries, leather auxiliaries, textile wastewater treatment, water chemicals, sustainable chemicals, dyeing process optimization, finishing agents and PFC-free water repellent. A ZDHC contributor and bluesign® system partner since 1978, with both advanced technology and 40 years’ experience, JINTEX GROUP always makes sure to meet each customer’s demand.

About Piedmont

Piedmont Chemical Industries is a subsidiary of Piedmont Chemical Industries Inc., a family owned and operated chemical manufacturer headquartered in High Point, NC. Founded in 1938 to support the local textile industry, the corporation has since evolved into 5 different production sites in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee with additional manufacturing partners servicing the Caribbean, Central America, and Asia.

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