Dow Corning Corporation, a leading supplier of innovative silicone solutions for the textile industry, will present “Dow Corning® DS-9000 Eco Repel™ – A New Additive for Flame-Retardant Textiles” at Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics.

Additionally, Dow Corning will feature its silicone textile printing inks, a water- and energy-saving eco solution for denim processing and a premium hydrophilic softener.

Peter Wu, Dow Corning’s Asia Technical Manager for Textiles, will discuss Dow Corning DS-9000 Eco Repel™, a new eco-friendly multifunctional encapsulated silicone additive for technical textiles. Jointly developed with DEVAN Chemicals, this technology allows apparel manufacturers to increase softness and hydrophobicity on existing flame-retardant finishes without impacting flame retardancy.

“Most current flame-retardant chemicals negatively impact the softness of the textile, leading to very harsh fabrics, which then become uncomfortable-to-wear garments,” Wu said. “Moreover, the material type predominantly used in textile multifunctional treatment additives for flame retardancy contains fluorocarbon derivatives, which arouse increasing concerns of safety and environmental issues.”

In addition to Dow Corning DS-9000 Eco Repel™, Dow Corning booth visitors will learn about Dow Corning® Textile Printing Inks, which are durable, colorfast and suitable for tough-to-print, high-performance sports apparel. The inks offer high elongation and a soft, non sticky handle and allow for innovative designs, including amber-look and water-droplet effects. With heightened consumer concern about the environment, silicone textile printing inks are an ideal solution because they contain no organotin, phthalate, formaldehyde, PVC or solvents.

Booth attendees will discover how to achieve significant water savings during denim processing. Dow Corning® GP 8000 Eco Solution saves up to 50 liters of water on every pair of jeans and provides faster processing time, using less energy to finish jeans.

Dow Corning also will feature Dow Corning® OP-8800 Premium Hydrophilic Softener, which provides an environmentally sustainable solution to the textile finishing market and contains virtually no VOCs. Dow Corning OP-8800 Premium Hydrophilic Softener offers excellent softness, wickability and water absorbency with no impact on whiteness or stain-release properties.