Quaker Fabric Launches Safer Scotchgard Fabric

By Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 9/18/2006 12:00:00 AM

Fall River, Mass. —

The venerable Scotchgard fabric protector will be relaunched by 3M, its producer, teaming up with Quaker Fabric for residential, contract, and outdoor fabrics.

Scotchgard was taken off the market some years ago in response to concerns about the effect of two chemical ingredients, PFOA (perfluorooctanic acid), and PFOS (perfluorooctone sulfonate), that are pollutants with risks to human health.

“The chemistry is completely different, eliminating all PFOA and PFOS chemistry,” said Larry Liebenow, Quaker president and ceo.

According to Mitch Culbreath, business development manager for 3M's Protective Materials & Consumer Health division, “3M's reformulated Scotchgard Protector provides all the performance benefits consumers expect from the brand — stain resistance, stain repellency, and stain release — with products that are not based on PFOA or PFOS chemistry.”

Fabrics using the new Scotchgard will be at “price points and constructions across the board,” said Liebenow. In the mix will be suede-like fabrics that can be made in this country “without the environmental problems and PFOA/PFOS issues of the import programs,” he added.

The marketing program will be offered to both decorative jobbers and furniture manufacturers. The price differential for fabrics with or without Scotchgard will be determined in the next few weeks, along with the specific of the marketing program that will include retail point of sale and sales information materials. 3M will focus as well on warranty specifics and post-sales service, Liebenow added.

“We are pleased that Quaker's commitment to the sale of environmentally responsible products caught 3M's attention, and we are proud that this made us 3M's first choice when it came to moving the Scotchgard brand back into the living rooms of America's homeowners,” Liebenow said.