Will Ingeo Green the Uniform Industry?

Can a uniform reduce global warming and break the United States’ dependency on foreign oil?

A tall order, for certain, But uniforms can play a role in protecting the environment, if a new line of uniforms and performance apparel lives up to the hype and becomes the industry standard. At least, that is what Dennis Lenz, founder and president of Mill Direct Apparel, is hoping for. He is harnessing the power of Ingeo, a manmade fiber derived from annually harvestable and renewable resources, such as corn. Lenz is manufacturing and distributing a line of performance apparel made of 100 percent Ingeo. “As concern over the environment grows, so does consumer demand for eco-friendly products,” says Lenz.

Just how green the uniform industry is remains to be seen, but according to Lenz, it’s a matter of time. “We live in an era when people are demanding more from their apparel products, and they want to feel better about the ecological and political choices they make with every purchase,” he continued. “The issue may not be as important here as it is in Europe, but with the war in Iraq, a renewed interest in environmental causes brought about by Al Gore and skyrocketing gasoline prices, it will be.”

Lenz may be right. Crude oil hit $64 a barrel last week, a six-month high. Pain at the pump has sounded the call for alternative fuel sources, including ethanol. Responding, America’s farmers have begun to plant the largest corn crop since World War II, according to a recent report by NBC Nightly News. While the focus is on fuel, it may soon be on uniforms as well.

How does a stalk of corn become clothing? After the crop is harvested, the corn is ground into starch, which is put through a process to make plant sugars, or dextrose. The sugars are then fermented to Lactide and made into a high performance polymer known as polylacticacid, or PLA. The Ingeo filament is extruded from the PLA, and the filament is cut into various lengths to create the fiber. Finally, the fibers are spun into yarn for knitting or weaving to create apparel.

Mill Direct purchases the Ingeo PLA from Cargill, its inventor. In 1997, Cargill and Dow Chemicals came together to create Cargill Dow LLC, a stand-alone company based in Minnetonka, MN. The company invested $750 million in research, development and manufacturing capabilities to bring the new technology to commercial reality. In 2005, Cargill bought out Dow Chemicals interest in the program and changed the name to Natureworks LLC (http://www.natureworksllc.com).

Ingeo literally means ingredients from the earth. The processed polylactide is made exclusively in the United States, and uses 68 percent less energy required to produce other synthetics. While other manmade fibers are derived from petroleum, a finite resource that has been linked to global warming, Ingeo is made from corn. “The use of Ingeo means less greenhouse gases are added to our atmosphere,” says Lenz. Customers get a better fiber, and we all get a better earth, so say the manufacturers. Equally important, since it is produced in the United States, the country’s farmers get to maintain their livelihood.

The product was recently tested by the Hohenstein Research Institute, an independent testing lab, and was given the best ranking in total wear comfort of all fabrics tested by the Institute, earning a comfort rating of Class #1.

Ingeo has other benefits. The fabric can be either washed or dry-cleaned and has excellent color retention. How do garments hold up? “Garments are actually 10 percent stronger after 100 washings and 20 percent stronger after 30 dry cleanings,” notes Lenz. Ingeo apparel is also designed to wick away moisture, keeping the wearer warmer in the cold and cooler in the heat. The fact that Ingeo won’t absorb water also means you can skip the dryer, or spin it dry in the washer, further reducing energy costs. To test this property, this writer recently washed an Ingeo heavyweight pique polo. While not completely dry, the result was sufficient to forgo traditional drying. There was also no need for ironing, supporting the claim that Ingeo products are wrinkle free.

NatureWorks LLC has gained considerable momentum in the past three years. The company has increased production capacity by more than 15 fold and reduced costs per pound to be competitive with petroleum-based polymers. There has also been interest in the product outside the uniform industry. Prominent designers such as Bagutta, Versace and Moby are using Ingeo or Ingeo blends because of its performance and environmental story.

For now, Mill Direct’s efforts have been concentrated in the promotional products industry, but Lenz sees a variety of applications for the product within the uniform sector. “Ingeo won’t absorb odors, making it a natural for restaurants and bars,” says Lenz. “Smokers won’t smell like they’ve just had a cigarette and neither will non-smokers.” It is also a hypoallergenic fabric, meaning anyone can wear it.

The company has also approached many area hospitals and has received positive feedback regarding another of Ingeo’s benefits -- its non-microbial properties. “Products that tout a non-microbial feature impart that benefit by spraying the garments with chemicals that are not only environmentally suspect, but wash out after a period of time,” notes Lenz. “Ingeo does it naturally and forever.” Non-microbial fabrics will not allow the proliferation of microbes such as bacteria, viruses or fungi. Most body odors are due to the bacteria that harbor in the moisture clinging to the body, a fact eliminated by Ingeo’s moisture management abilities.

One of its truly remarkable characteristics is that Ingeo is completely biodegradable and compostable. A discarded product will decompose in as little as 90 days when exposed to ideal natural processes. “The product originates from the earth and returns to the earth,” says Lenz.

Will Ingeo do to the uniform industry what the instock program did more than a half century ago? Perhaps, but Lenz also sees a higher purpose. “From an oil dependency perspective, Ingeo gives us options,” he says. “It is imperative we as a country lessen our dependency on oil. Products produced from Ingeo in 2007 will save the U.S. over 1 million barrel of oil. Ingeo isn’t just about apparel products, Ingeo is about being environmentally and socially responsible in making our world better for everyone.”

Mill Direct Apparel distributes decorated apparel, performance uniforms, and custom made wearables with warehousing and fulfillment capabilities. The company is located in Hopkins, Minnesota. For more information, or to order samples, call 800. 369.7499.