CRAiLAR Flax to be blended with the Lenzing
Fibers
TENCEL® and Lenzing Modal®
Performance and Sustainability in Fashion, Sport at
Core of the Global Development Goals
VICTORIA AND PORTLAND, OR, May 10,
2012 /PRNewswire/ - Naturally Advanced Technologies Inc.
("NAT" or the "Company") (TSXV: NAT) (OTCBB: NADVF), which produces
and markets CRAiLAR®, a natural fiber made from flax and other bast
fibers, announced it has entered a joint development agreement with
Austria-based Lenzing Group (LNZ:
Vienna), the worldwide leader in
cellulosic manmade fibers. The agreement calls for the companies to
evaluate the blending of CRAiLAR Flax fibers with TENCEL® (Lyocell)
and Lenzing Modal®.
Lenzing is the only company worldwide housing the manufacturing
of each of these three manmade cellulosic fiber generations on an
industrial scale. Its high-quality fibers are primarily used in the
textile industry, including women's outerwear and sportswear, as
well as the nonwovens industry, such as hygiene products. The
agreement, signed April 24, calls for
CRAiLAR to be evaluated according to specifications for any of its
cellulosic fiber categories.
"This is an important development for CRAiLAR Flax in that,
to-date, both of our commercial and exploratory partnership
agreements have been focused on how CRAiLAR can blend at varying
levels with natural fibers for apparel, home and industrial
applications," said Ken Barker,
Chief Executive Officer, Naturally Advanced Technologies. "With
Lenzing, we can now evaluate the opportunity to expand the host
fibers with which CRAiLAR can blend to identify new performance
attributes, applications and industries. This is truly a new
frontier for the future of our natural fibers, and working with the
global leader Lenzing creates a very powerful industry platform in
both sustainability and performance. This partnership will have
applications in industry sectors where polyester fibers have been
the norm, in addition to our existing applications as a sustainable
complement to cotton."
Lenzing is a pioneer in global fiber markets dating back nearly
75 years. Its raw material for fibers is wood, which is the basis
for producing dissolving pulp subsequently processed into cellulose
fibers. Its commitment to the principles of sustainability has led
Lenzing to be recognized for setting some of the highest
environmental standards in the industry. It recently introduced its
eco MicroModal® fiber at Paris Fashion Week in February 2012, and shortly followed that with the
announcement of a record-setting year at the company behind
double-digit growth in sales and profits.
"With CRAiLAR Flax and the applications that we have discussed
to date, we look forward to taking advantage of its unique
attributes, and to extending the range of products we can introduce
with CRAiLAR Flax to our global brand partners," said Peter Bartsch, Head of Marketing Apparel.
Each company saw its leadership position in the market, with a
particular expertise in sustainability, as an advantage during a
volatile 2011 fiber market. This led naturally to exploratory
opportunities for their fibers that could innovate and extend each
company's product platform. The intent of the agreement is to
create a range of yarns suitable for the fashion and sport
performance industries that:
- Prominently feature TENCEL®, Lenzing Modal® and CRAiLAR's
industry-leading sustainability platforms
- Leverage each company's water absorption and wicking properties
to create an alternative existing fiber material used in athletic
and sport performance
- Create a blended yarn using CRAiLAR, along with Lenzing's
cellulosic fibers, which can be introduced to the women's fashion
market, where Lenzing has long been a leader with a strong
presence
NAT today supplies its CRAiLAR Flax to HanesBrands, Georgia-Pacific, and Brilliant Global Knitwear
for commercial use, and to Levi Strauss & Co., Cintas,
Carhartt, Ashland, Westex, Target
and PVH Corp for evaluation and development. NAT is in construction
on its first full-scale production facility in Pamplico, South Carolina, and anticipates it
will be delivering fiber from the facility in Q3 2012. It will
partner with Tintoria Piana and
Barnhardt Manufacturing on the processing of that fiber. The
Company's current fiber is being produced at its pilot facility in
nearby Kingstree, South
Carolina.
About The Lenzing Group
The Lenzing Group is a world leader in marketing and manufacturing
man-made cellulose fibers. TENCEL®, Lenzing Modal® and Lenzing
Viscose® fibers are primarily used in the textile industry, special
fibers made by Lenzing are used for hygiene as well as technical
applications. The company was founded in 1938, is headquartered in
Austria and can be found online at
www.lenzing.com/textile
About Naturally Advanced Technologies Inc.
Naturally Advanced Technologies Inc., through its wholly owned
subsidiary, CRAiLAR® Fiber Technologies Inc., has developed
proprietary technologies for production of bast fibers, cellulose
pulp, and their resulting by-products in collaboration with
Canada's National Research Council. It's renewable and
environmentally sustainable biomass resources from flax, hemp and
other bast fibers offer cost-effective and environmentally
sustainable processing and production, along with increased
performance characteristics for use in textile, industrial, energy,
medical and composite material applications. The Company was
founded in 1998 as a provider of environmentally friendly, socially
responsible clothing. For more information, visit
www.naturallyadvanced.com.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange Inc. nor its Regulation
Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the
TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or
accuracy of this release.
Forward-Looking Statement Disclaimer
This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed
"forward-looking statements". All statements in this news release,
other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements or information are subject
to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual
events or results to differ from those reflected in the
forward-looking statements or information and including, without
limitation, risks and uncertainties relating to: any market
interruptions that may delay the trading of NAT's shares,
technological and operational challenges, needs for additional
capital, changes in consumer preferences, market acceptance and
technological changes, dependence on manufacturing and material
supplies providers, international operations, competition,
regulatory restrictions and the loss of key employees. In addition,
NAT's business and operations are subject to the risks set forth in
its most recent Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and other SEC filings which
are available through EDGAR at www.sec.gov. These are among
the primary risks we foresee at the present time. NAT assumes no
obligation to update the forward-looking statements.
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SOURCE Naturally Advanced Technologies Inc.