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REPUBBLICA DI SAN MARINO, May 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Kemin Industries' textile auxiliaries business unit, Garmon, the chemical solutions brand for the denim and fashion industry, has introduced "Safe Wear," a line of products that gives extra protection to garments. The Safe Wear line, Garmon's first endeavor into performance finishes, provides solutions for the industrial laundry and manufacturing processes that address consumers' demand for safety, given the current health concerns in the world.

The goal of Garmon's new Safe Wear line is to make people feel safe and comfortable living their lives outdoors again.

"In a few months, the world has changed in a way that no one expected, and things we once considered normal – like eating in restaurants or taking public transportation – are now considered risky," said Kimberly Nelson, President of Kemin Textile Auxiliaries. "Being based in Italy and San Marino, we have seen firsthand the tremendous impact of the pandemic. People want to protect themselves as much as possible, and that includes the garments they wear."

To make this happen, the Safe Wear line has been designed to include different technologies, levels of protection and price points to suit all the needs of the textile industry and consumers.

The Safe Wear product line includes:

• HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03
• Garmon Sani-tex
• Garmon Elam Sani-tex

HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03 is the most advanced product in the Safe Wear line. Created by HeiQ, a Swiss company of which Kemin Industries is part owner, HeiQ Viroblock has a strong, patent-pending antiviral and antibacterial effect against enveloped viruses – including coronaviruses – and bacteria.

Research shows that viruses and bacteria, such as SARS-CoV, a similar virus to the one that causes COVID-19, can remain active on textile surfaces for up to two days¹. Garments treated with HeiQ Viroblock actively inhibit viruses and kill bacteria upon contact, helping to minimize the potential for re-transmission of pathogens from textiles.

HeiQ Viroblock has been designed to stay active on treated garments for 30 gentle domestic washes, ensuring safety for the consumer that lasts for a good part of the garment's life.   

Thanks to the partnership between Kemin Industries and HeiQ, which began in 2017, Garmon extensively tested HeiQ Viroblock on garments to optimize dosages and application for garment finishing, ensuring an action that does not alter apparel's properties and look.

Two of the other products in the Safe Wear line, Sani-tex and Elam Sani-tex, are easy solutions to remove germs and bacteria from garments, ensuring hygiene standards. Both have been designed to guarantee an effective, immediate action while maintaining a very competitive price point.                                                

Due to their composition and based on some of the most useful and versatile active sanitizing contents, the application of Sani-tex and Elam Sani-tex on garments removes a variety of microorganisms and different types of viruses, in particular lipophilic viruses (e.g. herpes simplex, vaccinia, influenza and adenovirus). Using Sani-tex and Elam Sani-tex helps both laundries and brands provide consumers a finished product that is safe and respectful of their health.

All the products in Garmon's new Safe Wear line have been designed for application in the last phase of garment finishing, either alone or in combination with a compatible softener. Safe Wear products have been tested to be suitable for any kind of fiber, including natural, synthetic or blends. All of the Safe Wear products also work with Garmon's Smart Foam, the easiest system to save water in garment finishing.

Wearing garments treated with Garmon's Safe Wear products gives consumers the peace of mind to once again interact with the world we knew before, living in the clothes we love.

About Kemin Textile Auxiliaries

Kemin Textiles Auxiliaries, through the brand Garmon, is a leader in the R&D and marketing of total chemical solutions, innovation and creativity for the denim and apparel industry. The company is internationally recognized as a symbol of pioneering evolution in the name of a better tomorrow.

Since its birth in 1982, Garmon established itself at the very center of a narrative that talks to manufacturers, apparel brands and retailers about innovative chemical auxiliaries and solutions. For over 30 years, Garmon has been an R&D and marketing platform for fashion innovation and a reference for product quality and responsible practices.

With manufacturing facilities in San Marino, Brazil, China, India and Turkey, the company operates in more than 30 countries through a commercial network of subsidiaries and agents. This global footprint ensures technical assistance in strategic textile areas around the world, as well as capillary distribution of both chemical products and related know-how.

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 Kemin Industries

Kemin Industries (www.kemin.com) is a global ingredient manufacturer that strives to sustainably transform the quality of life every day for 80 percent of the world with its products and services. The company supplies over 500 specialty ingredients for human and animal health and nutrition, pet food, aquaculture, nutraceutical, food technologies, crop technologies and textile industries.

For over half a century, Kemin has been dedicated to using applied science to address industry challenges and offer product solutions to customers in more than 120 countries. Kemin provides ingredients to feed a growing population with its commitment to the quality, safety and efficacy of food, feed and health-related products.

Established in 1961, Kemin is a privately held, family-owned-and-operated company with more than 2,800 global employees and operations in 90 countries, including manufacturing facilities in Belgium, Brazil, China, India, Italy, Russia, San Marino, Singapore, South Africa and the United States.

Media Contacts: 
Fabio Forti – fabio.forti@kemin.com
Francesco Romiti – francesco.romiti@kemin.com 

KEMIN TEXTILES s.r.l.
Strada Acquasalata 7D/E - 47899 Serravalle
Repubblica di San Marino
+378 0549 919611

References:

¹G.Kampf et al (2020): "Persistence of coronaviruses on inanimate surfaces and its inactivation with biocidal agents"

© Kemin Industries, Inc. and its group of companies 2020. All rights reserved. ^{® TM} Trademarks of Kemin Industries, Inc., U.S.A.
Certain statements, product labeling and claims may differ by geography or as required by government requirements.

HeiQ, HeiQ Viroblock and Viroblock are trademark(s) or registered trademark(s) of HeiQ Materials AG. All rights reserved.

SOURCE Kemin Industries