Brussels based international chemical group Solvay has obtained a European patent protecting the use of its innovative EMANA smart fibre, from the European Patent Office (EPO).

EMANA is a Far Infrared (FIR) yarn made from polyamide 6.6, which when in contact with the skin, interacts with the body and improves blood micro-circulation. According to Solvay, several clinical tests have shown that EMANA offers sportswear and cosmetic benefits, such as skin elasticity improvement and helps reducing the signs of cellulite.

The EPO granted the patent (EP2402387) after extensive examination, confirming EMANA’s truly innovative technology that will benefit and add value to the textile market and its customers, Solvay said in a press statement this week.

“The granting of the patent is a final confirmation of the innovative Far Infrared technology used in EMANA. The patent protects our unique product against reproduction and use by competitors and followers,” said Gabriel Gorescu, Marketing and Innovation Manager of the Fibras Global Business Unit at Solvay. “It also recognizes many years of research and investments that went into this project from its conception until its marketing.”

Doubleskin

Leading Italian warp knitted seamless garments producer Cifra SpA was amongst the first to pioneer the use of EMANA in seamless knits. In September 2012 Cifra launched a brand new line of beauty and sports apparel called Doubleskin, which combines the Milan based company’s seamless warp knitting technology with the bioactive fibre Emana.

Citra’s warp knitting seamless (WKS) technology allows the creation of garments which have no uncomfortable seams where the garment comes in contact with the skin – both on upper body and legs. Doubleskin seamless garments are both soft to the touch and allow total freedom of movement.

According to Cifra CEO Cesare Citterio, his company has achieved impressive sales of over 160,000 warp knitted seamless garments with EMANA in the two years since it started using the innovative fibre. In addition to Doubleskin, Cifra also sells EMANA based garments to many other brands in a number of countries including China and Korea.

In recent years there have been a number of fibres released to the market which make similar claims to EMANA, including Nilit’s polyamide based Innergy and Celliant a polyester based fibre from California headquartered Hologenix.

As an international chemical group, Solvay says it assists industries in finding and implementing ever more responsible and value-creating solutions. The company generates 90% of its net sales in activities where it is among the world's top three players. It serves many markets, varying from energy and the environment to automotive and aeronautics or electricity and electronics, with one goal: to raise the performance of its clients and improve society's quality of life. The group is headquartered in Brussels, employs about 29,400 people in 56 countries and generated 9.9 billion Euros in net sales in 2013.

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