Asian fashion group Crystal International has become the first in the field to adopt Noble Biomaterial’s Ionic+ Durable antimicrobial textile finish. The solution will be used in Crystal’s new Wash Minus collection, through which the firm has set out to reduce water consumption during product manufacture and beyond. The company claims water is reduced in three phases. First, garments are made using waste fabrics as to mitigate the need to use any resources in the production of new materials.
Secondly, Crystal claims it’s leveraged “water efficient washing process” so that 80 percent of it can be reused and recycled. The final phase comes when the product is in the consumer’s hands, as the antimicrobial treatment on display is said to keep clothes fresher for longer so that they don’t need to be laundered as frequently, again reducing water usage.
Ionic+ Durable is based on silver which is renowned as an inherent antimicrobial that combats the proliferation of pathogens on materials in order to maintain good hygiene. With Ionic+, Noble has developed a treatment that’s applied at the finishing stage in a supply chain, offering companies total design freedom. This, it’s thought, will broaden its application potential as it could be adopted to add additional protection to PPE and uniforms as well as fashion items.
Miles Lam, Assistant General Manager of Crystal Denim, said: “Sustainability is always at the forefront of our minds when creating new innovative products. We are excited to launch our Wash Minus- collection to further expand our sustainable product range for our customers.
“By incorporating Noble’s new Ionic+ Durable antimicrobial solution, the positively charged ions are added to the denim products at the finishing stage where the odour-eliminating ionised silver allows jeans to remain clean and odour-free, reducing the need for frequent washing, helping to conserve water, energy and natural resources, as well as reducing fabric degradation over time.”
Joel Furey, Noble’s Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer, added: “Crystal Denim’s sustained commitment to excellence in not only their products but in making the world a better place is very much at Noble’s own heart, and we’re thrilled to be working with them to provide the most complete anti-microbial system on the planet.”
