CHICAGO—The Mitchell Group introduces three new Sta-Kleen Silicone Digital Print upholstery fabrics. The digital print collection offers the same environmental, performance, and cleaning qualities as the award-winning Sta-Kleen Silicone fabrics, says Bill Fisch, president.
The three new patterns: Bloom, Fleur, and Song have been designed for the healthcare, hospitality, contract, and other commercial markets. The Sta-Kleen Silicone collection now consists of 10 digital print patterns and three solid patterns.
“Sta-Kleen Silicone is produced in a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility. It was conceived, planned, and constructed under the direction of an environmentally driven team that’s trained in and remains dedicated to fuel efficiencies, resource conservation and recovery, and production methods that eliminate greenhouse gas emissions,” said Fisch.
“The fabric is environmentally responsible in the following ways: the manufacturing process uses zero solvents, and contains no polyvinyl chloride (PVC), plasticizers, phthalates, heavy metals, or stabilizers. No VOC is released and there’s no air pollution. The process also uses little water, which significantly reduces the energy required to recycle the water that in some cases also leads to pollution,” said Fisch.
Reuses Nearby Power Plant’s Steam
The new facility was intentionally constructed near an electric power plant to reuse this plant’s non-pollutant steam as its main power source. The steam is recaptured and transformed into power for the entire manufacturing operation while releasing zero waste into the atmosphere. The facility is undergoing ISO 14000/9001 certification. Sta-Kleen Silicone is the only product being produced at the facility.
Sta-Kleen Silicone doesn’t have any chemical flame-retardants or toxic byproducts. Sta-Kleen Silicone is compliant with the following environmental, green building, and material reporting standards: REACH, LEED v4 and LEED MR Credit 5, CA Section 01350 VOC Emissions, Health Product Declaration (HPD), Healthier Hospitals Initiative (HHI), mindful MATERIALS (mM), and California Proposition 65.
Overall, the fabric exceeds the Association for Contract Textiles (ACT) performance standards for commercial-grade upholstery. Moreover, Sta-Kleen Silicone is inherently stain-resistant, chemical disinfectant-resistant, mildew-resistant, hydrolysis-resistant, UV-resistant, and denim dye resistant with superior cold crack performance. The fabric delivers the highest Colorfastness to Light rating of any coated fabric on the market today, said Fisch.
Sta-Kleen Silicone was developed to stand up to quaternary, phenol, and ammonia-based chemical cleaners which are commonly used in the healthcare industry. Sta-Kleen Silicone is one of five Mitchell fabric brands that have been named a compatibility partner with five Clorox cleaner-disinfectant products. Mitchell is the only textile company with this designation.
