Polygiene Wins Outdoor Award

After dedicated outdoor testing and lively discussions in a remote mountain area of Austria, an international jury came up with the winners of Scandinavian Outdoor Awards for next year’s spring/summer season. Announced at OutDoor by ISPO, the jury stated that the Sustainability Award winner Polygiene/Odor Crunch, ‘can be a game changer, not only for the outdoor business but for the entire apparel industry.’

Explaining the decision, the jury noted, ‘This solution eliminates the use of silver and other biocides in the quest for odor-free garments made of synthetic fibers, while supporting a much needed change in user behavior: Garments do not need to be washed as often which reduces water and energy consumption, as well as it limits the release of micro plastics and washing detergents.’

Sweat is the body’s reaction to any physical activity as the cooling and heat-dispersing functions of the millions of sweat glands in the human body are essential to help us perform and stay comfortable. Though natural and odorless, when sweat is mixed with textiles it generates a warm, moist environment ideal for odor-causing bacteria to develop.

Most performance fabric suppliers have focused on the comfort of their products by moving sweat and body moisture vapour from the skin surface to avoid a clammy feeling and chilling effect.

Founded in Sweden in 2006, Polygiene is a world-leading provider of permanent textile odour control technology solutions for clothing, sports equipment, lifestyle, textiles and other materials. The process is bluesign-approved, which means it meets rigorous independent environmental and product life cycle standards, as well as being on the Oeko-tex list (I-IV) of independently tested and certified products.

More than 140 global premium brands have chosen to use Polygiene Stays Fresh Technology that lasts the lifetime of their products. Its silver salt (antimicrobial silver chloride) treatment, recycled from electronic waste and manufactured in the European Union, inhibits the growth of bacteria and fungi in textiles.

Ensuring they stay fresh wear after wear reduces the need to wash sports clothing regularly. The technology is only active on the textiles itself as Polygiene is not nanosilver.

Fresher smelling clothes, despite repeated wear, means fewer washes, lowering the environmental impact and wasting less water. Further, as repeated washings and bacteria cause fibres in clothing to break down and wear out, the lifetime of clothing is extended – Polygiene’s ‘Wear More. Wash Less’ ethos.

Extending its functionality, Odor Crunch is Polygiene’s answer to the problem of clothes picking up external, everyday odours such as fumes, cigarette smoke, musty damp mould and pollution. With even limited exposure, these can leave clothes smelling unpleasant and feeling dirty, so they are washed more often – not easy when travelling.

Odor Crunch particles eliminate everyday smells in a continuous process. First, the odour modules stick to the Odor Crunch particles, and then, once absorbed, they are catalytically ‘crunched’ into smaller odorless molecules of water and CO2, eliminating smells from clothing through the lifetime of the garment.

Since 2005, the competition for the Scandinavian Outdoor Award (SOA), hosted by Scandinavian Outdoor Group (SOG), aims to support product and design innovations as well as to promote new Scandinavian outdoor products. The Award enjoys a high recognition thanks to the thorough evaluation process of the industry.

A total of 22 products, from brands of the Scandinavian Outdoor Group, were nominated to compete for the SOA. The international jury team of outdoor and industry journalists and retailers based its final judgement on the following criterions: Design, Innovation, Functionality, Quality and Sustainability.  

Based on the meticulous assessment of each criteria, five awards were made this time – Overall Winner, Sustainability Award, Apparel Award, Hardware Award and Footwear Award.