IAC Webinar Discusses Improving Antimicrobial Test Reliability to Verify Quality and Build Consumer Confidence
Saginaw Valley State University, Saginaw, MI—January 21, 2016—Consumer demand for antimicrobial benefits in home textiles and apparel has grown substantially. In trying to meet that demand, many product developers have encountered inconsistent antimicrobial test results that leave them frustrated and uncertain of the real performance of their treated product. In this webinar, the International Antimicrobial Council gets to the root of this problem and offers a clear solution to end the frustration of contradictory test results.
Now that product designers can choose from a variety of odor control technologies, their qualification and quality assurance testing must accurately reflect whether the selected antimicrobial is functioning as intended. Dependable verification of antimicrobial performance is critical for ensuring product quality and consistency, both of which are keys to strengthening consumer satisfaction and loyalty.
The International Antimicrobial Council (IAC) will offer a webinar on Wednesday, February 10th at 12:00 Noon EST entitled “The Science of Protecting Your Brand” that will help brand owners understand why they've encountered testing issues in the past and outline how test results can be more reproducible even when different laboratories are used to test the same samples. Participants can register for the free online seminar by emailing Dina Dunn at Dina@blinkready.com to receive log in directions.
“At the AATCC Antimicrobial and Odor Control Symposium, we had several brand owners express frustration with the inconsistent antimicrobial test results that they are receiving from antimicrobial laboratories,” says Dr. Robert Monticello, the IAC’s Chief Scientific Advisor. “Too often results are not reproducible from lab to lab. This is due to the variability of the procedures that have been used when performing the test method. That variability can impact the reliability of the test to indicate the actual performance of the treated products when they are used by consumers. For most brands, those are risks that can’t be tolerated but if laboratories use the IAC Verification Program those inconsistencies can be resolved.”
In response to these concerns, the IAC has developed the Certified Laboratory Program that trains technicians and the IAC Test Verification Program that assures that laboratory technicians are implementing procedures in a consistent manner within the testing method which leads to more reproducible testing. When the IAC Verification Program is implemented in multiple labs, their results are much more comparable. The goal of the IAC’s Certification and Verification Program is to improve testing consistency throughout the antimicrobial industry resulting in higher uniformity across labs, improved product adoption timeframes, and more consistent test data to support antimicrobial product claims.
Jaimeson Rutledge, IAC Technology Director, will present the February 10th webinar and will respond to questions from participants during the event. To register, contact Dina Dunn at Dina@blinkready.com by Friday, February 5th.