This is a presentation on fabric in the workplace, sustainability and why colour choice is so important.

1. Fabrics for the Workplace
with Chieftain Fabrics.

2. Walking the tightrope between sustainability and
performance

3. It’s a challenge to ensure that fabric is high
performance and yet be responsibly
manufactured.
Especially given that vinyl is frequently
specified in high traffic areas

4. What do we mean by high performance?
Vinyl is often specified in high traffic areas because it offers many advantages.
Chieftain Fabrics use the globally recognised Swiss antimicrobial additive, Sanitized™
which provides extreme antimicrobial capability.
Crib 5 is a must for all commercial environments
A high number of Martindale rubs indicate that fabric will last but only if it’s cared for
properly.

5. This is essential in modern healthcare where HAIs (Hospital
Acquired Infection) must be kept to a minimum.
So it is very difficult to make sure that fabrics have all the
necessary hi-tech ingredients but are also kind to the
environment.
There are certain things we can do to make sure our fabrics are
as sustainable as possible. What are they?

6. How can this be done?
1. Recycled or organic backing cloth.¹
2. Use only organic dyes
3. Recycle all solvents so that they can be used several times.
4. Filter all water used in the manufacturing process.
5. Ensure all ingredients are REACH compliant
6. Replace lacquers with water based lacquers
7. Recycle all waste plastic.
8. Ensure all plasticpackaging comes from recycled recyclable.

7. Recycling
It is possible to recycle PVC fabric.
However, every time plastic is recycled it is
downgraded and will become a “durable good,”
such as carpet or fiberfill for a jacket. Our PVC is
turned into casing for electric wires or wellington
boots.
Good quality PU can be biodegradable. However,
it is essential that the backing cloth is 100%
cotton or other organic fibre and that the
ingredients are responsibly sourced.
.

8. The importance of colour
A growing trend in hospital design is the creation of a
stimulating, stress free space for users.
Colour affects us physiologically as well as emotionally.
By stimulating the nervous system, colours can influence mood and provoke
reactions.
“Colour can make environments more peaceful and less anxiety provoking.
This translates into a positive mood, which encourages the healing process.”
Angela Wright “Healing Hues: Using Colour to improve Health”

9. St. Michael’s Bristol
The artist Seamus Staunton used Just Colour vinyl in this corridor between children’s wards in St. Michael’s
hospital in Bristol. There were many children being treated here for hearing loss so the artist wanted to create
colourful sound waves to distract and cheer the children as they passed through the hospital.

10. Current research into wellness in the tourist and
hospitality industry indicated that calmness is the most
dominant dimension of emotional wellness. Results also
suggest that a cool colour-themed guest room, particularly
green, is preferable
Faber Birren’s research for his book “Light, Color, and
Environment”, 1982, backs them up by further
elaborating that “bright and vivid colours could arouse
and increase autonomic functions, blood pressure, heart
and respiration rate”, whereas “softer colours create an
inward response – one of calm and repose.”

11. Thank you for watching
www.chieftainfabrics.com