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Long-lasting odor control and freshness in apparel

and textile products are priorities for millennials

“Opportunities,” it has often been said, “should not September 2012 with the introduction of SILVADUR invisible to millennials and other consumers
be neglected because they rarely visit us twice.” That ™ Antimicrobial, Dow’s advanced odor-control who want information on the products they
is sound advice for the global textile and apparel technology for apparel and textiles. purchase and their performance attributes. In
industry when it comes to marketing to millennials, July 2016, Dow Microbial Control addressed
whose mindset, consumer behaviors and spending This intelligent technology neutralizes odor-causing this issue by introducing the INTELLIFRESH™
power are reshaping the global economy and bacteria on fabric surfaces, which directly plays into brand, which is designed to give consumers
creating a substantial and viable marketing opportunity consumer desires for healthy, sustainable lifestyles. peace of mind that the products they purchase
for product manufacturers and brand owners. For example, apparel products treated with are providing the reliable, durable odor control
SILVADUR stay fresher longer, which reduces the and long-lasting freshness protection that is so
How substantial an opportunity? Millennials, generally need for frequent launderings, saving water and important to them. The INTELLIFRESH brand on
defined as people born between about 1980 and the energy, as well as time that is so valuable to today’s a product is a signal that Dow’s SILVADUR
early 2000s, number 1.7 billion people or approximately busy millennials. technology is in the product and performing at
one out of every four people on the planet. a high level.
Since its introduction, SILVADUR technology has
Shared Values enabled many brands to provide long-lasting odor INTELLIFRESH is available to select manufacturers
A growing body of research shows that while protection across a wide array of product lines. and retailers of consumer goods who collaborate
millennials are impacted by their local cultures, there These include, but are not limited to, with Dow through a brand licensing and quality
are more commonalities among them than there are commonly-worn base-layer products where odor assurance program. The quality assurance program
differences. That is because they share the same can build up, such as t-shirts and underwear, sports is designed to ensure that all products featuring the
information channels and media content with their and fitness apparel, socks and shoes. SILVADUR is INTELLIFRESH label meet measurable and
peers in other countries, courtesy of the internet and also adding value in denim, including jeans, and quantifiable performance standards, specifications
social media, helping them form common casual clothes for men, as well as home textiles, and quality protocols and comply with industry and
perspectives, values, behaviors and motivations. such as bed linens, sheets, pillows and rugs, and regulatory requirements.
other product categories.
The research highlights some overarching trends that An Opportunity for the Taking
provide a roadmap to successfully marketing textile Extensive testing has shown that SILVADUR has a Clearly, the opportunity has never been greater for
and apparel products to millennials no matter where high degree of efficacy against a wide range of those manufacturers and retailers of apparel and
they live. Findings from the research company odor-causing bacteria and is highly durable. textile products who understand the enormity of the
Nielson, which are confirmed by Dow Microbial Feedback from apparel manufacturers indicates millennial cohort and the importance they and other
Control proprietary research, show that: that the technology is efficient and effective and the consumers place on personal and family health and
• Among the most prominent trends among application process is easy to adopt and use. The wellness. Those who partner with Dow Microbial
millennials is a desire for sustainable, balanced, solution is compatible with softeners, optical Control to take advantage of this opportunity by
healthy lifestyles and a need to assert greater control the products they purchase perform and the brighteners and most auxiliary agents and does not manufacturing and marketing products that feature
over their personal and family health and wellness. business practices of the companies that produce react with other chemical treatments. It can be advanced odor control technology and longer
• Almost 75 percent of millennials are willing to pay and sell them. easily incorporated into the existing operating lasting freshness can be rewarded with increased
extra for sustainable offerings and believe that their systems of a mill, using either exhaustion or sales, higher margins and repeat purchases
personal values are more important than personal Dow: Ahead of the Trend padding processes, without requiring excessive by loyal customers.
benefits, such as cost savings. Dow Microbial Control recognized the emerging processing temperatures, times or added binders. It
• Millennials expect today’s products to have need among millennials and others for a healthy, can also be applied by spraying or other methods. Author Karel Williams is global strategic marketing
increasingly better performance benefits than more sustainable lifestyle and developed a strategy associate director and brand manager for Dow
yesterday’s products. to help apparel and textile manufacturers take Giving Consumers Peace of Mind Microbial Control. He can be reached at
• Millennials want to be more informed about how advantage of it. That strategy initially played out in SILVADUR is an ingredient technology, making it klwilliams@dow.com

we have the production solutions for that. We There are smart textiles, functional textiles and
took the opportunity in Frankfurt to listen to the sportswear – and this is not a classical technical
customers and offer our solutions for the textile in terms of industry textile. So, technical
production of manmade fibers. fibers will be more and more part of our daily
life. But there is another topic at the Techtextil
TEXtalks: How do you see the future of technical that you can see more and more coming up –
textiles? it’s the composites topic. There are also a lot of
André Wissenberg: The future of technical textiles technical textiles in this regard. So, I see the
has many opportunities and as we can see here Techtextil will grow and will adapt and take over
at Techtextil in Frankfurt more and more other topics like apparel and maybe
technical textiles will be used in daily apparel. hometextiles – like the composites.