CARY - The Canopy Respirator has been named as the winner of this year’s RISE Innovation Award winner.
The award, which was presented at the recent INDA event, recognizes innovation in areas within and on the periphery of the nonwovens industry which use advanced science and engineering principles to develop unique or intricate solutions to problems and advance the usage of nonwovens.
The Canopy Respirator is described as an innovative respirator that is fully mechanical, non-electrostatic, with a filter designed for superior breathability while offering the wearer facial transparency. The breakthrough respirator features 5.5mm water column resistance at 85 liters (3 cubic feet) per minute, 2-way filtration, and a pleated filter that contains over 500 square centimeters of surface area. The patented Canopy respirator resists fluids, and eliminates fogging of eyeglasses.
“We are honored and humbled! Thanks to INDA for advocating domestic PPE production, and to the INDA member companies who have played a key role as partners to make Canopy a reality,” said Joe Rosenberg, Founder and CEO of Canopy.
Other nominees for the Award included John Mansville for their Evalith 1000 Series, an innovative Alpha Binder that is a formaldehyde-free, high bio-carbon content, toxic-free binder formulation, and TiGuard, LLC for their Fiber Coated, Heat Sealable, Breathable, Hybrid Membrane, Protective Fabric.
Around 145 professionals in product development, material science, and new technologies convened for the 11th conference edition of RISE — Research, Innovation & Science for Engineered Fabrics, held virtually, September 28-30. The event was co-organized by INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, The Nonwovens Institute, and North Carolina State University.
The program focused on Nonwoven Material Science Developments, Sustainability, Increasing Circularity, Promising Innovations, Process Innovations, Material Innovations, Government/NGO Challenges to Single-Use Plastics, Machine-Assisted-Learning Development of Biopolymers, and Market Intelligence and Economic Insights.
Participants praised the high-quality program content, in-depth round table discussions, networking and Q&A’s where participants ask expert speakers questions pertaining to their focused presentations.
Highlights among the 26 presentations included Sustainable Solutions for our Plastic Planet Predicament, by Marc A. Hillmyer, Ph.D., McKnight Presidential Endowed Chair, University of Minnesota; Closed-Loop Recycling Pilot of Single-Use Face Masks by Peter Dziezok, Ph.D., Director of Open Innovation, Proctor & Gamble; Innovating a Sustainable Future for Nonwovens: A European Perspective, by Matt Tipper, Ph.D., CEO, Nonwovens Innovation & Research Institute (NIRI); Phantom Platform: The Polyolefin-cellulose Coformed Substrates Technology, by Fabio Zampollo, CEO and Founder of Teknoweb Materials; Guiding Environmentally Sustainable Innovations – From Reactive to Proactive Life Cycle Management, by Valentina Prado, Ph.D., Senior Sustainability Analyst, EarthShift Global LLC; High-Loft, Ultra-Soft Hygiene Solutions, Paul E. Rollin, Ph.D., Senior Principal Scientist – Global Hygiene, Propylene-Vistamaxx-Adhesion (PVA) Global Technology, ExxonMobil Chemical Company; and Canadian Plastic Policy Update, by Karyn M. Schmidt, Senior Director, Regulatory & Technical Affairs, American Chemistry Council (ACC).
For information on the 12th edition of the Research, Innovation & Science for Engineered Fabrics (RISE) conference in 2021, visit inda.org
