Victor Innovatex to be the exclusive mill distributor of GreenShield finish
Finish to be applied to Eco Intelligent Polyester fabrics
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, June 10, 2008
SAINT-GEORGES, Quebec — Fabric maker Victor Innovatex has announced that it will be the exclusive mill distributor of GreenShield fabric finishing from G3 Technology Innovations.
Victor Innovatex’s Eco Intelligent Polyester fabrics are already certified Cradle-to-Cradle Gold by the Charlottesville, Va.-based McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry certification program.
Adding finishes to fabric can decrease its environmental standing in the MBDC program but it also can provide certain commercial advantages. In this case, using the GreenShield nanotechnology-based finish decreased the Eco Intelligent fabrics’ MBDC standing by one level, but it also added durability as well as stain- and water-repellant capabilities.
GreenShild uses “microroughness” to reduce the use of fluorochemicals on fabrics. It creates a pocket of air between fabric and water and oil and serves as a repellent.
The finish, which is chemically bound to fabric fibers, is also certified by Emeryville, Calif.-based Scientific Certification Systems as an Indoor Advantage Gold product and as a Low Fluorocarbon treatment product. GreenShield-treated fabrics have no volatile organic compounds, or VOCs.
The MBDC certification program emphasizes designing and creating cradle-to-cradle product cycles. In the cradle-to-cradle process, materials are perpetually circulated for reuse; in the typical cradle-to-grave cycle, products and byproducts enter the waste stream.
The MBDC maintains that using this closed loop process of the cradle-to-cradle approach maximizes the value of materials used without damaging ecosystems.
MBDC Certification of the finished product required the evaluation of Victor’s facilities within five categories: Materials, Nutrient Reutilization, Energy, Water and Social Responsibility.
Eco Intelligent Polyester is what Victor Innovatex calls a “technical nutrient textile.” The company defines technical nutrient as a material that remains in a closed-loop system of manufacture, reuse and recovery, maintaining its value through many product life cycles.
