Oilguard - new nonwoven technology launched helping to protect beaches from oil spills. PRESS RELEASE 2 0 1 0 – 0 6 – 1 4 Bad Zurzach, Switzerland, Emsdetten Germany, June 14, 2010 —A new nonwoven fabric for beach protection against oil spills has been developed by European high-tech companies. It can be deployed short-term in large quantities to for example the affected US coastal regions. The current oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is causing major damage to the open waters and coastal regions. This acute problem will at the very least persist for several months. Given the magnitude of the oil release, no existing technique alone is able to grant full protection against the oil which will eventually end up on beaches, rocks and land. Once oil is on land the contamination can be severe, and the cost and effort associated with the clean-up tremendous. The vast coastal eco-system impact of the oil-spill was the driving force for HeiQ Materials AG - a Swiss high-performance textile effects company and TWE - a world leading German manufacturer of nonwoven fabrics, to develop, produce and launch an oil absorbing nonwoven fabric called Oilguard. Rolled out on beaches, Oilguard specifically contributes to the beach protection due to its built-in capability to absorb oil while repelling water at the same time. “Based on our previous product development work on super hydrophobic technologies for textiles, we have a unique know-how and understanding which we have now been able to rapidly turn into a product, Oilguard, that can play a role in helping to mitigate the serious problem in the Gulf of Mexico”, says Carlo Centonze, CEO of HeiQ. “We are pleased to be able to assist with our know-how and technologies for a crucial cause like this.” Oilguard 1.jpg Photo: Oilguard fabric selectively absorbing oil and repelling water. Oilguard was developed by HeiQ under extreme time constraints in a joint effort with Swiss partner company, Beyond Surface Technologies, and the TWE Group in Germany. The Oilguard nonwoven fabric can be up to 6 yards wide and hundreds of yards long. The companies’ current production capacity corresponds to 20 miles of new beach protection every day. “We are in the unique position that we are set-up to deliver large quantities of the Oilguard nonwoven fabric in virtually no time to any region in need for it” says Jörg Ortmeier, CEO of TWE. “Currently we are in the process of organizing live testing in collaboration with US authorities and will then be able to rapidly contribute to help mitigate the oil contamination of the coastline.” Large scale deployment tests of the Oilguard fabric are planned to take place in the coming weeks aiming at providing guidance to the relief workers who will ultimately use the product. Carlo Centonze explains: “We have received significant interest and support from US federal and political channels and we also seek to engage state authorities, local groups and NGOs to participate in this challenging beach rescue project.“ Further Oilguard information is available on www.oilguard.org . For inquires on the Oilguard fabric, contact: Kristofer Skantze Head of Sales and Marketing HeiQ Materials AG Zürcherstrasse 42 CH-5330 Bad Zurzach Switzerland Phone +41(0)56 250 68 50 Email: info@heiq.com Carsten Otte Sales & Marketing Director TWE Vliesstoffwerke GmbH & Co. KG Hollefeldstr. 46 48282 Emsdetten Germany Tel.: +49-2572-205-15 Fax: +492572-205-51 Email: otte@twe.de About HeiQ: HeiQ Materials AG is a Swiss high-tech company researching, developing and manufacturing sustainable textile effects for the most demanding customer areas. Focusing on both textile and medical markets, the company seeks to build nature-inspired innovation into products, making them naturally performing. HeiQ’s products are characterized by high efficiency coupled with long-lasting performance, yet with a minimum impact on the environment. HeiQ is a fast-growing internationally active company, with a palette of award winning state-of-the-art textile effects technologies like Pure by HeiQ® and Barrier by HeiQ®. www.heiqmaterials.com , www.heiq.com About TWE: The TWE GROUP is one of the world’s leading producer of non-wovens. Developing and making its mark in this field for decades TWE is able to offer customers new products and ideas based on a large set of different technologies. Being an international group of companies, each manufacturing site concentrates on specific technologies offering centres of excellence. Since TWE only uses quality raw materials and state of the art production processes leading global companies have long decided to rely on “Made by the TWE” quality label. www.twe.de About Beyond Surface Technologies: Beyond Surface Technologies AG is a Swiss based company that has created a global network of partner companies, technology providers and textile experts. BST is researching, developing and producing a unique range of quality effects based on sustainable technologies for textile surfaces. www.beyondst.com

June 14 2010

Oilguard product presentation

Textile Innovation Aboard the America’s Cup Hünenberg, Switzerland, February 4, 2010 — ODLO brings an absolutely innovative superhydrophobic jacket to team Alinghi, defender of the 33rd America’s Cup. ODLO is using ground-breaking Barrier by HeiQ technology, allowing the world’s best sailing team to meet the ultimate weather and performance demands. The Alinghi sailing team will during America’s Cup be using a highly innovative and novel water repellent technology on its sailing jackets to ensure maximum repellency under the harshest of conditions. The ODLO produced jackets use Barrier by HeiQ® - a superhydrophobic technology developed and manufactured by the Swiss company HeiQ Materials. In the America’s Cup, only the best materials are selected to enable both crew and boat to meet the extreme demands for performance. When Swiss sports clothing company ODLO equipped the AlingAlinghi team edited cropped.jpghi team with jackets they selected the world-leading Barrier by HeiQ® water repellency effect. This unprecedented breathable textile treatment guarantees that the Alinghi crew stays dry and comfortable at all times before, during and after the race, giving the crew the freedom to fully focus on the sailing tasks at hand. The high-performance repellency provided by Barrier by HeiQ® comes from a unique microparticle based treatment applied during the textile manufacturing process. The resulting biomimetic structure of the textile surface imitates the self-cleaning surface structure of the Lotus leaf, thereby providing exceptional water repellency, an effect also known as superhydrophobicity. ODLO jackets treated with Barrier by HeiQ® provide the Alinghi crew with durable water repellency under the most demanding weather and sports conditions possible. “We decided to select HeiQ’s product after multiple testing of leading repellent effects, and Barrier by HeiQ® was clearly standing out in comparison”, says Andreas Kessler, CEO ODLO. “ODLO has always been a forerunner in textile innovation and by using Barrier by HeiQ® we again show our commitment to bringing word-leading innovation to our customers. HeiQ has demonstrated again to be an ideal innovation partner with rapid, efficient and cutting-edge development for our most demanding needs.” “We are very proud that our innovation has been selected for use by Alinghi in their defense of the America’s Cup”, says Kristofer Skantze, head of sales and marketing with HeiQ Materials AG. “Barrier by HeiQ® raises the bar on water repellency performance and the level of protection end-customers should be able to expect in modern fabrics. This is the third generation particle based textile effects technology developed by HeiQ over the last 5 years and the selection of Barrier by HeiQ® for Alinghi is testimony to the leading textile effect technologies that HeiQ offers.” About ODLO: ODLO is the inventor of functional sports underwear. As the market and technology leader, ODLO has committed itself to producing the best functional sportswear for people who love exercise – in every weather and at every level of intensity. ODLO ensures well-being from the skin outwards and stands for uncompromisingly high demands of function, wearer-comfort and quality. In Europe, ODLO is the market leader in the segment of functional sportswear with Sports Underwear and Nordic Walking. In addition, ODLO is convincing with successful collections in the categories of Outdoor, Running, X-Country, Tec Shirts, Bike and Kids. ODLO has its own sales companies in Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium/Holland and Austria. The ODLO brand is sold worldwide in more than 20 countries. More information can be found on www.odlo.com. About Alinghi: www.alinghi.com About HeiQ: HeiQ Materials AG is a Swiss company developing and manufacturing antimicrobial silver and other sustainable textile effects for the most demanding customer demands. Focusing on textile and medical device markets, the company seeks to build nature inspired innovation into products, making them naturally performing. HeiQ’s products are characterized by high efficiency coupled with long-lasting performance, yet with a minimum impact on the environment. HeiQ is recognised as a young and innovative company, with a palette of award winning, state-of-the-art technologies.

Feb 4 2010

Team Alinghi using Barrier by HeiQ in America's Cup

HeiQ launches innovative water and oil repellency textile finish using 3D structure technology P R E S S R E L E A S E 2 0 0 9 – 0 6 – 1 5 Bad Zurzach, Switzerland, June 15 2009 HeiQ Materials, the leader and inventor of silver composite additives and high performance sustainable textile finishes, has launched “Barrier by HeiQ” a revolutionary effect for textile surfaces. Barrier by HeiQ is a novel particlebased water and oil repellency system, providing extraordinary protection against the elements and stains for all types of fabrics. Barrier by HeiQ is distinctly more effective than the common stain and weather resistant textile finish available on the market. The superior performance is possible thanks to the unique 3D structure of the textile surface built-up by specialized microsized particles that are firmly embedded in the textile finish applied to the textile. Barrier by HeiQ Workwear Poster.jpg The special 3D surface structure which Barrier by HeiQ creates on the textile minimizes the contact area between water or oil and the textile, thereby effectively preventing water, oil and stains from adhering to the surface. The Barrier by HeiQ technology is not only highly durable, the high performance of the technology can also cut the use of fluorine based repellency chemicals by up to 60 %, making Barrier by HeiQ an environmentally responsible performance choice. “Barrier by HeiQ offers a completely new dimension to functional finishing with conventional fluorocarbons and other particle-based repellent systems available on the market today” says Kristofer Skantze, Head of Marketing and Sales at HeiQ. “It is the most advanced technology available to textiles to provide unparalleled repellency and self-cleaning characteristics coupled with true sustainable credentials”. The Barrier by HeiQ system of products offers the following advantages: · Superior water repellency · Superior oil repellency · Unrivalled wash durability · Simple 1-step padding (foulard) application (process savings) · Consistent and robust performance · Suitable for all fabric types · High performance with minimal fluorine (environmental sustainability) · Directly compatible with other HeiQ effects (e.g. Pure by HeiQ antimicrobial textile effects) · Cost effective Visit www.heiq.com and www.heiqmaterials.com for more information on the technology or contact: HeiQ Materials AG Kristofer Skantze Head of Sales and Marketing Zürcherstrasse 42 CH-5330 Bad Zurzach, Switzerland Tel: +41(0)56 250 68 56 Fax: +41 (0)56 250 68 51 info@heiq.com www.heiqmaterials.com www.heiq.com About HeiQ: HeiQ Materials AG is a Swiss company manufacturing high performance additives and state-of-the art, sustainable textile effects for the most demanding functionalities. The company’s goal is to mimic nature’s effects and transfer these to textile fabrics, making them naturally performing. HeiQ’s products are characterized by high efficiency coupled with long-lasting performance, yet with a minimum impact on the environment. Being a young and innovative company, HeiQ has already received several awards for its state-of-the-art technologies. End

June 15 2009

Barrier by HeiQ launched

P R E S S R E L E A S E 2 0 0 9 – 0 3 – 2 6 Bad Zurzach, Switzerland, March 26, 2009 HeiQ Materials has become an EU notifier for elemental silver under the Directive 98/8/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council adopted in 1998 on the placing on the market of biocidal products. The EU Biocidal Products Directive (BPD) aims to harmonise the European market for biocidal products and their active substances. At the same time it aims to provide a high level of protection for humans, animals and the environment. In order to avoid duplication of testing on vertebrate animals and with the purpose to establish a collective complete dossier a Silver Task Force has been developed with HeiQ as one of its members. The Silver Task Force members commit to supply its own generated data for the collective dossier on silver in various forms. “By engaging and investing strongly in regulatory affairs, environmental life cycle analysis and human safety assessment of its silver based products, HeiQ is standing up to its strong commitment to deliver to the market the most sustainable, safest and best performing technologies”, says Carlo Centonze CEO HeiQ. The decision of HeiQ to join the EU Silver Task Force represents a major milestone for HeiQ’s progress in the market introduction of its unique silver technologies. For more information, contact: Kristofer Skantze Head of Sales and Marketing HeiQ Materials AG Zürcherstrasse 42 CH-5330 Bad Zurzach Switzerland Phone +41(0)56 250 68 50 Email: info@heiq.com www.heiqmaterials.com About HeiQ: HeiQ Materials was founded in 2005 as spinoff of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zürich. HeiQ is an innovative company that specializes in the development and manufacture of high performance products that bring advanced functionality to the medical, coatings, plastics and textile industry. HeiQ is based in northern Switzerland and currently operates 2 production and 3 R&D facilities employing 21 people.

March 26 2009

HeiQ joining EU BPD Silver Task Force:

HeiQ and Mammut team up to provide state-of-the-art Swiss technology P R E S S R E L E A S E 2 0 0 8 – 1 2 – 0 2 Bad Zurzach / Seon, Switzerland, Dec 2 2008 — Mammut Sports Group, and HeiQ Materials announced today that HeiQ’s composite silver antimicrobial has been selected for Mammut’s new range of Alpine Underwear to provide quality odor-free underwear products. Odor-control is a common must in modern sports garments and finding solutions that are high-performing and wash-durable yet sustainable has been very difficult - until now. Mammut has worked closely with HeiQ to develop garments that will keep its odor-controlling effect for the lifetime of the product. Using a minimum of naturally occurring silver provided by HeiQ in a suitable form for textiles, the Mammut Alpine Underwear collection meets the consumers demand for freshness feel lasting the lifetime of the product. “At Mammut we are always on the search for innovations for the high demands of our customers. We found what we were looking for in the HeiQ effects after extensive testing and see that this will bring good value to our products” says Michael Gyssler, Head of Marketing at Mammut. Through a clever combination of natural and synthetic fibres coupled with the latest body mapping technology, Mammut Alpine Underwear is the result of a three year development program. It allows each area of your body to be regulated individually by transporting moisture away from the body, cooling and heating precisely where needed. Furthermore HeiQ’s advanced silver antimicrobial provides the wearer with long lasting performance, all day long no matter what the mountain throws at you. “We are delighted to work with Mammut on their Alpine Underwear program” says Kristofer Skantze, Head of Marketing and Sales at HeiQ. “Mammut are the clear market leader when it comes to high alpine apparel and equipment . By selecting the most effective and efficient antimicrobial on the market today under the ‘Pure by HeiQ’ brand name they demonstrate being also innovation leaders. With Pure by HeiQ, HeiQ provides a sustainable odor-reducing product for textiles through a unique and patented silver composite technology requiring a minimum of active substance to achieve strong and highly durable performance. Learn more about the Alpine Underwear range and the technology behind it go to http://www.mammut.ch/en/apparel_alpineunderwear.html Visit www.PureByHeiq.com for more information on the technology or contact: HeiQ Materials AG Kristofer Skantze Head of Sales and Marketing Zürcherstrasse 42 CH-5330 Bad Zurzach, Switzerland Tel: +41(0)56 250 68 50 Fax: +41 (0)56 250 68 51 info@heiq.com www.heiqmaterials.com Mammut Sports Group AG Katharina Habermann Public Relations / Web Industriestrasse Birren CH-5703 Seon, Switzerland Tel. +41 (0)62 769 81 25 Fax +41 (0)62 769 82 47 khabermann@mammut.ch www.mammutsportsgroup.ch About HeiQ: HeiQ Materials AG is a Swiss company manufacturing high performance additives and state-of-the art, sustainable textile effects for the most demanding functionalities. The company’s goal is to mimic nature’s effects and transfer these to textile fabrics, making them naturally performing. HeiQ’s products are characterized by high efficiency coupled with long-lasting performance, yet with a minimum impact on the environment. Being a young and innovative company, HeiQ has already received several awards for its state-of-the-art technologies. About Mammut: Mammut Sports Group AG has, with its great innovative strength and intensive cooperation with material producers, acquired a high level of professional competence. Whether alpine, outdoor, climbing or snows sports, Mammut offers the right equipment for every area of use. Its products distinguish themselves through especially good quality, technology and function. Mammut is continuously improving its products. An example of this is the use of professional alpinists such as Stefan Siegrist who continuously test the equipment.

Dec 2 2008

Mammut and HeiQ teaming up

Bad Zurzach, Switzerland, November 11 2008 — HeiQ Materials AG, the leader and inventor of silver composite additives and high performance sustainable textile finishes, has launched a unique branding program for its odor-free textile finish called Pure by HeiQ. Climb like a goat. Don’t smell like one. Pure by HeiQ, Naturally fresh odor -free textiles “The Pure ingredient branding program underlines HeiQ’s commitment to invest in textile innovation with our advanced technologies already established in the medical device industry” says Kristofer Skantze, Head of Sales and Marketing at HeiQ. “The challenge has been to communicate effectively the odor-free performance and the benefits of our high-value effect applied to clothes to the end-consumer, without blinding them with science.” Pure by HeiQ is the first ingredient brand in a line of biomimetic textile effects from HeiQ aiming at replicating nature’s own technical solutions and applying these in the textile world. “We communicate the effect directly to the end-consumer with the help of a little tongue in cheek, by thought-provoking imagery and tag-lines on the label. We want to show how state-of-the-art technology can provide value to high-tech sports apparel, for example, yet allowing consumers ultimately to wash clothes functionalized with Pure technology less frequently or intensively thus making a contribution to a sustainable resource utilization”, says Skantze. The HeiQ ingredient-branding scheme has been created to communicate to the end-consumer the best in class technology coupled with guaranteed performance for the lifetime of the garment. HeiQ will offer its branding scheme on a limited basis to leading brands to assist them in developing high-performance garments by ensuring correct application and reliable product performance. The innovative labels provide clear benefit statements for consumers, in an appealing design, enhancing convenience and confidence in garment selection and purchase of the best technology available. With Pure by HeiQ, HeiQ provides a highly sustainable product for textiles through a unique and patented silver composite technology requiring a minimum of active substance to achieve strong and highly durable performance. The Oeko-tex approved HeiQ products are breakthrough textile products for all garment types that allow users to be as active as wanted and still feel and smell fresh. Due to HeiQ's unique technique of treating textiles with its silver through fiber integration or as a topical application, the odor-free effect remains for the lifetime of the garment. Visit www.PureByHeiQ.com for more information on the branding program or contact: Kristofer Skantze Head of Sales and Marketing HeiQ Materials AG Zürcherstrasse 42 CH-5330 Bad Zurzach Switzerland Phone +41(0)56 250 68 50 Email: info@heiq.com www.heiqmaterials.com About HeiQ: HeiQ Materials AG is a Swiss company manufacturing high performance additives as well as state-of-the art, sustainable textile effects for the most demanding functionalities. The company!s goal is to mimic nature!s effects and transfer these to textile fabrics, making them naturally performing. HeiQ!s products are characterized by high efficiency coupled with long-lasting performance, yet with a minimum impact on the environment. Being a young and innovative company, HeiQ has already received several awards for its state-of-the-art technologies.

Nov 11 2008

Pure by HeiQ launched

Bad Zurzach, Switzerland HeiQ Materials AG, the leader and inventor of silver composite additives and high performance sustainable textile finishes, has been granted Oeko-Tex Standard 100 listing as approved active chemical for its products HeiQ AGS-20 TF and HeiQ AGS-20 MB. For a textile product to be labelled with an Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certificate, all ingredient products and treatments have to go through extensive tests and then be proven by Oeko-Tex as safe to humans and the environment. The HeiQ AGS-20 TF and the HeiQ AGS-20 MB products now Oeko-Tex listed, allow textiles to become naturally odor-free by preventing unpleasant smell development, commonly a problem in sports training as well as tough climate conditions. “The Oeko-Tex 100 is a benchmark textile standard serving an important role in determining the eco-friendliness and safety of a product. The Oeko-Tex approval further confirms studies already conducted by leading institutes on the eco-compatibility and human friendliness of the HeiQ silver based products”, says CEO Carlo Centonze. HeiQ provides highly sustainable products for textiles through its innovative and unique silver composite technology requiring a minimum of silver to achieve higher and more durable performance. The HeiQ AGS-20 TF and HeiQ AGS-20 MB products are breakthrough textile products for all garment types that allow users to be as active as wanted and still feel and smell fresh. Due to HeiQ’s unique technique of treating textiles with its silver as a topical treatment or fiber integration, the odor-free effect can remain for the lifetime of the garment.

HeiQ Products Oeko-Tex Listed

2008-09-04

Bad Zurzach, Switzerland HeiQ Materials AG, the inventor of antimicrobial silver compositve additives, today announces a worldwide, multi-year exclusive partnership agreement with B. Braun Aesculap, one of the world’s leading healthcare suppliers. The scope of the partnership is to develop healthcare applications featuring HeiQ’s unique silver composite technology. Hospital-related bacterial infections, so called Nosocomial, are estimated to be the fifth-leading cause of death in the United States. The US Center for Disease Control estimates that nosocomial infections cost hospitals about $4.8 billion annually in extended care and treatment. Nosocomial infections are common with estimates at about 10% of American hospital patients, or more than 2 million cases annually. Death rates in the US alone are estimated to be as high as 88,000 deaths annually. A great majority of healthcare-acquired infections involve many of the pathogens displaying antimicrobial resistance against antibiotics. Silver is effective across a broad range of bacteria and against mutating pathogens. It is also effective in blocking fungi and yeasts known to cause disease. While silver alone does not eliminate infection-associated complications, it may reduce the risk of such occurrences and can be a useful part in an overall strategy for hygiene management. Silver is known to be harmless to the human body at bacterial effective levels and is, for the most part, non-toxic and does not encounter the problem of microbial cross-resistance. In order to exhibit antimicrobial effects, silver must be present in the ionic state. The HeiQ technology provides an effective platform to maximize the antimicrobial capability of silver. Because of the particular HeiQ silver composite, HeiQ antimicrobial silver provides effective release of silver ions at low concentrations. HeiQ’s composite technology uses a firmly embedded reservoir system of metallic silver. The silver ion release is tailored to provide antimicrobial activity in a controlled way enabling a long-lasting antimicrobial effect. “We believe partnering with HeiQ Materials to develop silver-based antimicrobial healthcare solutions will be strategically important to our company and our customers in the prevention of hospital-acquired infections”, said Dr. Odermatt, Head of R&D Wound Closure at B. Braun Aesculap in Tuttlingen. "We are very pleased to have received recognition for our products by B. Braun and will now together focus on application integration of our silver composite as a trend-setting technology against healthcare-related infections into B. Braun’s own healthcare products. This proves that HeiQ continues to attract partnerships with industry leaders who share our commitment to bring innovative solutions to market”, said Carlo Centonze, CEO of HeiQ Materials AG.

B. Braun and HeiQ to develop antimicrobial medical devices

2007-10-27

Bad Zurzach, Switzerland HeiQ Materials AG, the inventor of silver composite additives, today announces a worldwide partnership agreement with the Radici Group, one of the world’s leading high-quality man-made fiber manufacturers. The scope of the partnership is to develop fibers featuring HeiQ’s unique antimicrobial silver composite technology. The new bacteriostatic polyester fiber from Radici, is the World’s first man-made fiber featuring HeiQ’s groundbreaking composite technology. The Radici product has permanent bacteriostatic properties thanks to the incorporation of HeiQ composite silver in the PET matrix before spinning. The functionalized fiber maintains the handle, strength and elongation properties of the fiber. The silver composite prevents the development of unpleasant odours and dramatically reduces the proliferation of bacteria. "Working with the Radici Group is a great recognition of HeiQ and its HeiQ silver product. Our close collaboration has resulted in a very unique antimicrobial fiber product which meets the needs of modern users of garments and outperforms the competition in durability”, says Carlo Centonze, CEO of HeiQ Materials AG. The customer benefit of using Radici products over other fibers is the improved comfort, freshness and hygiene that is enabled by adding the HeiQ silver product. The Radici products dramatically reduces the growth of bacteria and fungi and thereby prevents unpleasant odours. All the while it is a clean technology containing no harmful biocides. “The partnership with HeiQ has allowed us to take our new product to the market quickly and we are confident this will be a sought after product with strategic importance to both our company as well as our customers,” says Mr Parenzan, Head of R&D Polyester of Radici Group Radyarn.

2007-10-27

Radici using HeiQ silver in its fibers