When IKEA announced its team had developed an affordable solution to clean
indoor air — an air-purifying curtain called
GUNRID — it was the
focus of conversations throughout the world. The technology behind GUNRID
consists of a mineral-based, photo-catalyst coating applied to the textile; when
activated by natural light, GUNRID breaks down common indoor air pollutants.
It takes a village of researchers, scientists, product developers, academics,
designers and other specialists to galvanize these ideas and bring them to
fruition. In an effort to recognize and learn from the wide array of
organizations and ways we can each make a positive impact on people and the
planet, Shaw’s Susan
Farris hosted a webinar with Sustainable Brands in October 2019, called
“Sustaining Human Ability: Taking a People-Centric Approach to
Sustainability”
— which featured HeiQ
Group
co-founder & CEO Carlo Centonze; Healthy Building Network’s William
Weber; and Mary Dickinson, Co-Director of Perkins and Will’s Material
Performance Lab.
Switzerland-based HeiQ Group is a leader in textile
innovation, creating some of the most effective, durable and high-performance
textile effects in the market today. Founded in 2005 as a spin-off from the
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, the company improves the lives of
billions of people by perfecting everyday textiles through scientific research,
specialty materials manufacturing and consumer ingredient branding. The company
includes more than 85 professionals in 12 countries — including research centers
and laboratories in Australia, China, Portugal, Switzerland,
Taiwan and the US; as well as manufacturing in Australia, Switzerland
and the US (in Georgia and North Carolina).
The following three questions with HeiQ’s Carlo Centonze were excerpted from the
webinar.
What is driving your efforts — what market needs, insights or shifts led to the initiative?
Transforming fashion through materials innovation
Join us as leaders from Crocs, Hilos, Marchon Eyewear, Planet FWD and Target discuss real-world examples, practical strategies, and supply chain considerations for developing eco-friendly clothing, shoes, and accessories that minimize waste and protect the planet — Tuesday, Oct. 15, at SB'24 San Diego.
Carlo Centonze: We focus on solving problems and creating novel benefits —
the next ‘it’ textile technology with a strong focus on sustainability. Of
particular concern is indoor air quality. When HeiQ started 15 years ago, our
first-generation products prevented odor generation in textiles by managing one
of the sources of odor: Bacteria. That has expanded to looking at how we can
absorb volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are harmful to people, like
formaldehyde and acetaldehyde.
Our efforts are driven by our top executives. Our client, IKEA, decided that
they wanted to improve their customers’ lives by developing cleaner or better
technologies. That led to big decisions from the top management to engage in
trying to identify ways to have better materials — more bio-based materials, or
functional technologies that contribute to better products and also a better
indoor life. IKEA and HeiQ then began working together to see what is
potentially possible where we can have an impact on indoor air quality. We went
to our global academic experts and looked for existing interdisciplinary
technology. That effort allowed us to smartly package and re-combine in a unique
and novel way several existing technologies from different application fields
that could quickly go to market. It is a really good time for sustainable
technologies — for all of us to try to make an effort to utilize the better
products that are available or can be made available as readily as technologies
in our markets.
Can you share a little about some of the challenges you faced through this project?
CC: Research and development never happens in a straight line. We are
talking about solutions that had to be developed on textiles — which seem to be
a simple product, but it’s actually a very complex product with a lot of
intertwined manufacturing processes. So, the challenges have been to achieve the
targeted performance while matching the application processes which are standard
in our industry. At the same time, we are also trying to match the price
expectations that IKEA wanted to give to their consumers — affordable, yet very
functional and beneficial technology. And of course, when you do this
development with a multinational Fortune 500 company, you are exposed to several
countries, several languages and several cultures — requiring both teams to
adapt to each other. Thanks to the willingness of everybody to create something
better, we have overcome the hurdles that have been manyfold.
What were your keys to success?
CC: Transparently sharing with the people you're working with what the
technologies can or cannot do — and addressing the issues you're facing in a
structured innovation process. The key to success is really communication and
sharing knowledge, if you are able, with partners and stakeholders around you.
Something good will come out of that sharing — especially when everyone involved
is focusing on creating a more sustainable innovation that will benefit
consumers. There is also a strong motivation when intercompany relationships are
running well — when people are having fun, creating better stuff and working
towards the same goal to create better lives for
people.
And finally, another key to success is to be optimistic and enthusiastically
share the gained knowledge and interesting findings with people around you.
This article is one in a series of articles recognizing 10 diverse
organizations intently focused on products and initiatives that support the
wellbeing of people and the planet, as part of Shaw’s
sustain[HUMAN]ability™ recognition
program.
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Shaw Industries
Published Dec 19, 2019 7am EST / 4am PST / 12pm GMT / 1pm CET