VICTORIA, BC and PORTLAND, OR, April 9,
2012 /PRNewswire/ - Naturally Advanced Technologies Inc.
("NAT" or the "Company") (TSXV: NAT) (OTCBB: NADVF), which produces
and markets CRAiLAR®, a natural fiber made from flax and other bast
fibers, announced that it has entered into a short term CRAiLAR
Flax fiber development agreement with PVH Corp (NYSE: PVH), one of
the largest global apparel companies. The agreement begins this
month to support evaluation of processing CRAiLAR Flax fiber in
dress and sports shirt lines, including Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, its branded Van Heusen, IZOD, ARROW and
Bass.
"PVH's focus on dress shirts, an apparel category with one of
the highest thread counts in the industry, will provide a fantastic
opportunity for us to demonstrate the performance range of CRAiLAR
Flax fiber," said Ken Barker, Chief
Executive Officer, NAT. "We anticipate that previous testing -
which showed increased tensile strength, reduced shrinkage,
increased dye uptake, and moisture wicking properties that can keep
consumers cool - will reveal performance advantages in this
category."
Under PVH's corporate environmental policy, it has stated that
it is exploring measures to decrease environmental impact with
respect to water usage, wastewater treatment, hazardous chemical
output and overall progressive environmental stewardship within its
supply chain, by seeking vendors aligned with those goals.
"We are excited about the prospect of integrating this new
all-natural fiber into our products," said Emanuel Chirico, Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer, PVH Corp. "We enter this agreement with the belief that
CRAiLAR can move us closer to our goals of progressive
environmental standards, including responsible water usage overall,
and significant reduction in hazardous chemical waste in water, air
and inputs from farmland to finished products."
NAT's proprietary CRAiLAR process produces a soft natural
flax-based fiber that can be blended with cotton, wool and other
natural fibers at varying levels. Its production and manufacturing
typically allows partner brands to significantly reduce water
usage, chemical usage at both the agriculture and manufacturing
stages, and reduce shrinkage, allowing for more raw materials to be
used for more product. Each of these characteristics allow its
partners to further demonstrate their commitment to sustainability
without sacrificing quality of construction nor consumer
experience.
The company today supplies its CRAiLAR Flax to HanesBrands,
Georgia-Pacific, and Brilliant
Global Knitwear for commercial use, and to Levi Strauss & Co.,
Cintas, Carhartt, Ashland, Westex,
and Target for evaluation and development.
About PVH
PVH Corp., one of the world's largest apparel companies, owns and
markets the iconic Calvin
Klein and Tommy
Hilfiger brands worldwide. It is the world's largest
shirt and neckwear company and markets a variety of goods under its
own brands, Van Heusen,
Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, IZOD, ARROW,
Bass and G.H. Bass &
Co., and its licensed brands, including Geoffrey Beene, Kenneth Cole New
York, Kenneth Cole Reaction, MICHAEL Michael
Kors, Sean John,
Chaps, Donald J. Trump Signature Collection, JOE
Joseph Abboud, DKNY, Ike
Behar and John
Varvatos. For more information, please visit
pvh.com.
About Naturally Advanced Technologies Inc.
Naturally Advanced Technologies Inc. develops renewable and
environmentally sustainable biomass resources from flax, hemp and
other bast fibers. The Company, through its wholly owned
subsidiary, CRAiLAR® Fiber Technologies Inc., has developed
proprietary technologies for production of bast fibers, cellulose
pulp, and their resulting by-products in collaboration with
Canada's National Research Council. CRAiLAR technology
offers cost-effective and environmentally sustainable processing
and production of natural, bast fibers resulting in increased
performance characteristics for use in textile, industrial, energy,
medical and composite material applications. The Company was
founded in 1998 as a provider of environmentally friendly, socially
responsible clothing. For more information, visit
www.naturallyadvanced.com.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange Inc. nor its Regulation
Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the
TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or
accuracy of this release.
Forward-Looking Statement Disclaimer
This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed
"forward-looking statements". All statements in this news release,
other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements or information are subject
to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual
events or results to differ from those reflected in the
forward-looking statements or information and including, without
limitation, risks and uncertainties relating to: any market
interruptions that may delay the trading of NAT's shares,
technological and operational challenges, needs for additional
capital, changes in consumer preferences, market acceptance and
technological changes, dependence on manufacturing and material
supplies providers, international operations, competition,
regulatory restrictions and the loss of key employees. In addition,
NAT's business and operations are subject to the risks set forth in
its most recent Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and other SEC filings which
are available through EDGAR at www.sec.gov. These are
among the primary risks we foresee at the present time. NAT assumes
no obligation to update the forward-looking statements.
SOURCE Naturally Advanced Technologies Inc.