Teijin Frontier, a Teijin Group fibre product converting company, announced this morning that it has developed a new polyester curtain fabric that traps double the amount of pollen as conventional polyester curtain fabric, helping to minimize pollen levels indoors. Teijin Frontier will sell the new fabric for use in lace curtains from March this year.

The Japanese company is targeting annual sales of 50 tons in its fiscal year from April 2013 and 100 tons in the following fiscal year.

Teijin Frontier says it developed the pollen-trapping function by modifying the polyester fibre structure with crimps, rather than conventional adhering agents. As a result, Teijin claims, functionality does not deteriorate after repeated washing and the fabric retains its characteristic polyester fibre properties, such as quick drying.

According to the company, trapped pollen can be removed easily with washing and the fabric also boasts a stylish cotton-like texture to match various interiors.

For sports outerwear, Teijin already markets a pollen-shedding polyester fabric made with durable polyester yarn that is resistant to static electricity, thereby helping to prevent pollen from sticking to clothing.

Pollen levels on the rise

According to Teijin, in Japan, pollen levels have been rising in recent years and increasingly more people are suffering from hay fever. This year, the cedar and cypress pollen counts are projected to be significantly higher than last year in the eastern and northern parts of the country, the company says.

Teijin is a technology-driven global group offering advanced solutions in the areas of sustainable transportation, information and electronics, safety and protection, environment and energy, and healthcare. Its main fields of operation are high-performance fibres such as aramid, carbon fibres and composites, healthcare, films, resin & plastic processing, polyester fibres, products converting and IT.

The group has approximately 150 companies and around 17,000 employees spread out over 20 countries worldwide. It posted consolidated sales of JPY 854.4 billion (USD 9.9 billion) and total assets of JPY 762.1 billion (USD 8.8 billion) in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2012.

www.teijin.co.jp/english