HeiQ partners with Culp to apply HeiQ Allergen Tech, a 100% biobased* solution that reduces allergens on textiles, onto interior upholstery fabric.
HeiQ announces the extended application of HeiQ Allergen Tech to bring the benefits of this biobased textile technology to the interior upholstered furniture market, marking a unique launch into this segment.
HeiQ Allergen Tech has already been successfully adopted in bedding items like pillows, bed sheets, and mattresses by leading brands. And now Culp Upholstery Fabrics, a division of Culp, Inc. and one of the world’s leading suppliers of upholstery fabric, will offer this technology to manufacturers of upholstered furniture. The collaboration aims to extend the proven benefits enjoyed by thousands of end-users in their bedrooms to all living spaces, as the two companies extend the use of HeiQ Allergen Tech beyond sleeping products. This special collaboration will see Culp introduce HeiQ Allergen Tech enhanced interior upholstery fabrics to markets such as the Americas, among others, with Culp as the exclusive supplier.
HeiQ Allergen Tech effectively addresses the problem of allergens from dust mite matter and pet allergens in textiles with the help of active probiotics, making it ideal for applications in upholstered furniture, such as sofas, armchairs, and other upholstered furniture products, which are among the household items that are rarely or never washed. This naturally derived technology works in the background with its continuous cleaning action to reduce allergens on the treated fabric and thereby create a more comfortable living environment.
The first treated fabrics as result of the collaboration were revealed at the Interwoven 2024 trade show on May 7-8 in High Point, NC, USA, where HeiQ and Culp teams were happy to provide more details to all visitors.
Culp Upholstery Fabrics, renowned for supplying a wide range of upholstery fabrics across the globe, delivers fashion-forward, stylish fabrics with broad appeal to the largest home furnishing retailers and manufacturers. Now, with the integration of HeiQ Allergen Tech, Culp and HeiQ are bringing innovation to homes, offices, and all living spaces with upholstered furniture.
Probiotics: the force that works with nature, not against it
The proprietary technology of HeiQ Allergen Tech is 100% biobased and long-lasting. Probiotics, also known as “good bacteria” with benefits for humans and animals, colonize the treated fabrics, leaving no space for harmful dust mite matter or pet allergens to settle in while creating the ideal conditions for better and more comfortable living spaces.
“We are excited to partner with Culp to introduce HeiQ Allergen Tech to the upholstery market,” said Mike Abbott, Head of HeiQ Textiles & Flooring Business Unit. “Allergies are triggered by various allergens and are one of the most prevalent health problems in the world, estimated to affect about 40% of the global population, according to an article in the International Archives of Allergy and Immunology. This partnership allows us to address a significant issue faced by consumers in their homes and living spaces by reducing allergens from dust mite matter and pets on upholstered fabric that people use every day. This collaboration further establishes HeiQ as a solutions provider to problems that impact millions of people worldwide, such as conditions triggered by dust mite and pet allergens.”
“Our collaboration with HeiQ represents an exciting new innovation for Culp,” said Tammy Buckner, Senior Vice President of Design and Marketing for Culp Upholstery Fabrics. “With HeiQ Allergen Tech integrated into our fabrics, we are offering our customers a differentiating solution that can truly enhance the way people live and interact with their furniture and improve their everyday lives.”
About HeiQ Allergen Tech
HeiQ Allergen Tech is a 100% biobased*, proprietary technology that reduces exposure to allergens with the help of active probiotics. This innovative probiotic textile technology utilizes the combination of prebiotics and probiotics (= “synbiotics”) that cleans up allergens. The probiotics colonize textile surfaces with good bacteria, effectively reducing common aero allergens such as dust mite matter and pet allergens (pet hair, dander, saliva).
HeiQ Allergen Tech provides a biotechnical solution for allergen reduction in home textiles such as fabrics for mattresses, mattress toppers, bed linen, pillow covers, but also carpets, rugs and upholstered furniture – whatever is in reach of dust mites and pets: pillow, bed, sofa, carpet and all textiles in cars, offices and hotel rooms.
(*Based on third-party testing of bio-based carbon content using ASTM D6866)
About Culp
Culp, Inc. is one of the world’s largest marketers of mattress fabrics for bedding and upholstery fabrics for residential and commercial furniture. The company markets a variety of fabrics to its global customer base of leading bedding and furniture companies, including fabrics produced at Culp’s manufacturing facilities and fabrics sourced through other suppliers. Culp has manufacturing and sourcing capabilities located in the United States, Canada, China, Haiti, Turkey, and Vietnam.
