HeiQ launches new technology to fight allergens

HeiQ, a textiles technology company based in Schlieren in the canton of Zurich, has launched an innovative technology saimed at reducing the proliferation of allergens. According to a press release, HeiQ Allergen Tech is 100 percent bio-based, can be easily added during the finishing stage of the textiles manufacturing process and helps to reduce inanimate allergens such as house dust mite matter and pet allergens. The new technology can be used in tandem with home textiles such as bedding, as well as in connection with furniture textiles such as sofas and seats in public transport, which can be more difficult to wash and disinfect.

Several rounds of testing have demonstrated that HeiQ Allergen Tech is highly effective in reducing the levels of house dust mite matter (96.6%), allergens from dog hair (76.5%) and cat hair (83.6%), further details of which can be found in the company press release.

HeiQ Allergen Tech is described as forming an invisible protective layer that lasts at least 20 washing cycles. Around 40 percent of the global population is affected by allergies, according to an article that has appeared in the trade journal “International Archives of Allergy and Immunology” published by Karger Publishers in Basel.

“Our proprietary HeiQ Allergen Tech achieves an impressive reduction of allergens that can become airborne in our living and sleep environments, in nature’s way”, comments Robin Temmerman, CEO of HeiQ Chrisal, in the press release. HeiQ took over the biotechnology firm Chrisal N.V., headquartered in Lommel in Belgium, back in March 2021.

HeiQ, a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH), is headquartered at the IJZ, an innovation and start-up park located in Schlieren. The company is also a member of Start Smart Schlieren.