Ep. 111: Natural antimicrobial advancement

This transcription has been AI generated and therefore may have some inaccuracies.

Ep. 111: Natural antimicrobial advancement

In this episode Allon Cohne, SVP and chief marketing officer at Noble Biomaterials discusses the company’s Material Innovation Award win, with their entry titled: Ionic+ Botanical Technology.

WTiN: Hi Allon, thank you for joining me on the WTiN textile innovation podcast, and congratulations on winning the material Innovation Award at WTiN innovate awards last year, could you share the story behind your winning innovation and what inspired its development?

Cohne: Yes, and thank you for hosting. We were really excited to win the Innovation Award this year. There was a lot of work that went behind developing this new product, and it started, actually during COVID, we started looking at just basic consumer products. And if you remember, there was obviously a lot of colds, a lot of sneezing and coughing. And we looked at Kleenex, actually tissues that actually contain citric citrus in an in them as a anti microbial to detour microbes from spreading. And that thought, just looking at that product inspired us to look at as tissues were kind of a disposable we were looking at something that detoured or prevented the spread of microbes on fabric. And so we started to think about how to do that with different types of botanical or plant based anti microbials. And so the one that came up was citric acid after learning from it on a tissue box.

WTiN: That is really interesting. And what challenge or gap in the textile industry does that innovation address?

Cohne: Well, traditionally, I think, in the and the anti microbial space, trying to remove odour and trying to remove microbes from fabric, it's really been reliant on mineral and a lot of the metal based technologies, which are really outstanding and removing microbes from fabric. And what we tried to do was find something as durable, something as that has the same performance characteristics, is removing the microbes that cause odour and staining on fabric. And so as we went through the different class plant based technologies really zeroed in on the few that were coming to mind. And the citric has been used over and over in preparations of fabrics. You know, different treatments of fabric, but not as a anti microbial after it's been treated into the into the design of the fabric. So this was really the the gap that we felt that was that really needed an innovation. And so we, we put our our team into it, and tried to look at the the opportunities and the and the chemistries that were out there. And so we felt that there was a lack of plant based technologies in the market for antimicrobial.

WTiN: And you've just explained it there about how your innovation is like set apart from others on the market, but could you go into that further, and how can you see it disrupting the industry?

Cohne: Yeah, you know, we again. We looked at this as from our internal optics, we always look to come to a solution that's innovative. So whether we started with yarn technologies, or whether we started with topicals. This was a, really a new approach for knowable bio materials, because typically, we've, we've innovated in yard technologies. We've always wanted that permanent characteristic, something that lasts the life of the garment or the fabric, something that is inherent in the construction.

To kind of switch over to something that may be less permanent, something that that isn't as durable as a permanent solution, as you get with yarn. We looked at this as okay, if we're going to do topical and we're going to use chemistry, how do we adjust our our systems and our approach? And so we had to do that even through our team. How? You know, the teams that looked at the different chemistries and all the research that went into it, but one of the key areas for us as a developer and of new technologies, we always want to have an eye on regulatory. One of the key characters of what we offer is aligning with regulatory around the globe. And so this was something where we had to look at how to pass all of the hurdles that came into that, that actually come into, come into the process of trying to develop something new. And so as we looked at citric acid, we needed to look mainly at the EPA regulation. First, we wanted to make sure if we came to the market, we could, in fact, make the same claims. So claims about anti odor, claims about anti microbial and that comes to the Environmental Protection Agency in the US. So we started there to make sure that if we are going to go down this approach of developing a new chemistry that the EPA would recognize it, it could be supported by the the and approved by the EPA. And so we started there, and then we kind of looked at all the other all the other regulatory all the other organizations like zdhc and and oeko-tex and the others that we need to build our chemistry around. So it's, it's really been a step approach as to what claims can we make, and then look at the performance, and then look at how different organizations can adopt this technology.

WTiN: So how does Noble Biomaterials stay on top of the various regulations that is going on? And was it this that prompted your new approach?

Cohne: It's actually great question. One of the things that we pride ourselves from a business perspective, and how we approach the market with our customers, is we have in house, regulatory on staff. So we have that's part of our organization. We have a department of that that reviews regulatory around the around the globe, as you would a marketing department, as you would a legal department, we have a regulatory department, so we are keen in on what's happening in the US market, what's happening in the European market, what's happening in the Asia markets. So that we really understand when we present a new technology, when we present to customers, they can feel that we've done our due diligence, they can understand and get it the direct communication from our regulatory departments, so they know we've done our homework. They understand the integrity that's involved in the products that we produce, and particularly when we come with a new technology, something that is new to the market, that has not been that, that hasn't been introduced that the reason, one of the reasons we've seen recognition from WTiN and other media publications, because it really recognizes the innovation is something new. Having that regulatory background and having that inherent in our approach to our everyday products is was really important.

WTiN: That's great. And obviously you just mentioned WTiN, and winning the WTiN textile the Innovate textile award is a huge achievement. What does this recognition mean to you and your team?

Cohne: It's validation, quite honestly, and it, you know, I think from a business perspective, of course, you want a technology to change the game. You want to be recognized from your customer base, from the market in general, and that's always done through business and sales. And you get that recognition because you know, you've, you've created something that is in demand. But to actually get a recognition of an award of innovation was great for the team, because the team is always, of course, we enjoy the sales, we love the business security, but it always means more, I think, to the full team to understand, when you win an award, it doesn't matter. I don't think whether it's a Media Award or, you know, a or another organization, when that recognize, when you get recognition outside by a third party, outside of the business community, I think it just takes on another level of meaning. And I think from from our team, the validation that we really achieve something new. Um. Validated, not only business case, but also the case from from third parties. So thank you.

WTiN: And obviously you said it said something new that you have brought to the market, as you've explained. And bringing the new to market obviously comes with challenges. What was the biggest hurdle you faced while you developed this innovation. And how did you overcome it?

Cohne: Yeah, I mean, it's a lot of innovation. It takes. I think number one is investment for us, it is, you know, we are. We invest in technology, we invest in innovation, product development. And one of the, one of the greatest achievements, is to, is to bring something to market soon enough that it is adopted by the market. And so one that's the greatest challenge, I think, in this market and in this day and age and textiles, is bringing something to market without having a customer ready to adopt it right away. So we were in partnerships with many of our partners, letting them know we are in development. We and trying to get the hurdles of not only just the regulatory but also product iterations, making sure that we are getting things right and durable. So there's a lot of testing that happens, multiple testings, multiple iterations. And so there's that financial investment that we knew we were developing. We were on the right track, but bring it to market in an expeditious way, so that you can, you can start to see that from a from a business perspective, I would say that balance of timing was really one of the greatest hurdles, I think, with in, you know, in today's today's world, whether you're working on a vaccine or you're working on the next textile innovation, yeah, speed to market is a critical and crucial component. And that was one of our greatest achievements, I think.

WTiN:  And obviously, just then you said that, obviously testing and stuff you didn't you were doing like, obviously, without customer feedback. But since it's hit the market, has customer industry feedback had any kind of role in refining the innovation?

Cohne: Yeah, it's very interesting, because the categories that we play in a pretty broad right? So I think when we talk about outdoor sports, sports in general, athleisure, bedding, home and even health care. So all of those different categories have different requirements, footwear as well, and so that the the ability for us to adjust based upon the consumer application. So whether you're making footwork, whether you're making scrubs for medical, or whether you're working on home or bedding. And you know, again, the lifestyle athletic space, they're all, they all have different requirements. And so depending upon your application, you have to have adjustments in how much chemistry you use, and on which different fabrics, there's all kinds of different fabrics out there. There's all different kinds of polymers. So whether we're looking at a polyester, whether we're looking at a nylon, whether we're looking at natural fibers, they were all they all act differently when you apply this technology. And so that was, again, another key hurdle, but also kudos to the team that kind of looks at that broad base and says, Okay, well, for this category, we can adjust either for more more chemistry or less chemistry, and it all dependent upon the fabric type, Ethan and obviously no biomaterials, as you have says that lots and lots of different teams.

WTiN: But what advice would you give to any aspiring innovator hoping to make a mark in the textile industry?

Cohne: Yeah, that's a it's a great question. I think persistence, right? I think they whether you're in textiles or whether you're, you know, whether you're a sports team or whether you're an aspiring musician, it is persistence, and I think that is a great outcome. Again, within a team, it is persistence with a with a common goal. Knowing what you're trying to solve is key. Is I think you can sometimes get detoured, or maybe go on different pathways. But when you're working with a collective group to try to solve a problem, know what you're trying to solve for? We knew we were trying to solve for a plant based anti microbial that was accepted by regulatory that that bar, that that benchmark, hadn't been achieved. And so we that was our goal. Collectively, we took it on. And it took, you know, years. We had the support of our of our senior management. We had support of the industry. And so that is key if you're trying to change.

Change and create change is that you really have a clear understanding of what you're trying to accomplish, and then and then collaborating and keeping that persistence to to achieve that. It that is, I think, overall, in, again, in any category or in any any industry, persistence of point of view is is key.

WTiN: And you just said that about how, obviously we need to probably the benchmark, and not yet been achieved, and it took years. How do you hope this innovation and the way you have used citric acid could inspire others in the industry to prioritize not only sustainability, but also innovation and coming on to that as well, like regulations.

Cohne: Yeah, it, you know, it, it sometimes takes on a life of its own. And I think the hardest part is it, particularly in textiles, changing production, changing on a global scale, changing anything in manufacturing, is a huge challenge.

And I think this, you know, our goal to inspire change is incremental, right? And I think that this is kind of an example of that, where you're looking at something that may have been the mainstay, and again, trying to change manufacturing, trying to change any operations that has a system and working very well to serve an entire global economy, and changing, and bringing people aware of that change, and then having them buy into that change is massive. And I think that, you know, starting small, using something that's plant based, it's going to take time to really, you know, over the next years, to really adopt it at a at a grand scale. But those who you know, I think we want to inspire are the new brands, or brands that are trying to reinvent themselves. That is the key when you bring something new to market, is to inspire new designers, inspire new new product developers, those are the ones that have to go back to the supply chain and say, We're doing this differently. And you know that you gain that critical mass and that momentum by by small changes, even though citric acid feels like a major change, it's already it's already well known, it's understood, but how we've used it, and how we've applied it, and how we've really been able to keep it, keep it, keep it top of mind.

It as a new application was really key. So, you know, our goal is to inspire those to help inspire change on a grand scale. Brilliant. And I'm just going to change the final question, just because I feel you've just covered it here. But yet again, if you don't answer it, you don't have to.

WTiN: Thank you, Alan. And finally, I just want to ask, is there any future plans in the pipeline for the advancement of this innovation?

Cohne: Yes, indeed, and it's part of you know, again, coming back to our roots, our roots have really been in yarn development. We have a mineral, a mineral yarn, a silver based yarn, where we extrude into the yarn and the characteristics. And again, we talked about this. It's that permanent, anti microbial. So it's, it's inherent in the yarn. It doesn't wash out. So yes, we're, we are we continue to believe that the yarn is the sources of making better materials. And so what we've done with this chemistry of botanical, ionic plus botanical, knowing that that's a fabric finish our goal is to, soon, one day, have it in a in a yarn form, so that it won't wash out and it'll maintain that permanent, kind of durable application, so that, you know it's kind of a fabric preservative, where you and you are really protecting the integrity of the fabric. You're, you're, you're really using this application, whether it's yarn or fabric finish, to preserve the fabric, so that you're also preventing the additional uses of resources. So you're not washing as much, not as much. Detergents are going into the water stream. Fabrics and and apparel are lasting longer because you're not washing them as much. They keep color longer. So all of these benefits come back to Okay?

So how do we improve on what we've developed? You know, again, from a fit, from a chemistry, from a fabric finish to a yarn, is really where we'd like to take this amazing I'm very excited to see what happens in the future. Thank you so much for joining us on the textile innovation podcast, and congratulations again. Thank you. Thank you for having us and look forward to 2025.

WTiN: Amazing. Thank you so much.