To begin, could you give us an overview of the chemical products and solutions HealthGuard® offers to the textile and related industries?
HealthGuard® offers a range of biotech topical coatings and masterbatch solutions for use in the manufacturing process of textile, fibre, yarn, leathers, PVC’s and foam applications. The HealthGuard® biotech range encompasses single-function and multi-function treatments, including: Anti-Viral, Anti-Microbial, Anti-Dust Mite, Anti-Mosquito and Anti-Bed Bug solutions.
We have recently launched our first non-bio base treatment, which is a 100% natural active Anti-Odour treatment, designed to improve wearability, comfort and use of our everyday textile products…naturally!
Who are your major customers? In what sector are they in the industry?
Major customers are usually based around a range of mills who manufacture different products on behalf of the retail brands nominating HealthGuard® treatments. HealthGuard® is nominated by major Australian retailers, including KMART, Target, Big W, Harris Scarfe and ALDI.
Given our diverse range of products, which can be implemented at multiple manufacturing points, we supply to yarn, fabric and garment dyeing manufacturers.
What are the benefits gained by your customers from your chemical products, solutions or services?
The benefits of HealthGuard® are two-fold:
For Manufacturers: We provide unparalleled products and services to textile mills, including:
- Technical and implementation support
- Quality control development
- Product development consultancy
- Independent testing coordination
- Regulatory compliance assistance
- Strategic marketing guidance
- Custom development solutions
For Consumers: HealthGuard® treatments act as a 24/7 invisible shield, delivering long-lasting, effortless protection:
- Enhanced hygiene
- Odour reduction
- Extended product lifespan
- Relief from dust mite allergens
- Reduced mosquito bites
- Prevention of bed bug infestations
How do you think the chemical industry has evolved? And what can be expected in the forthcoming years?
In the founding years of HealthGuard®, the chemical industry was not highly regulated, the evolution has seen availability of cleaner chemistry, an increase in certifications for manufacturers and retail brands, instantly providing consumer peace of mind.
I believe we can expect to see a continued trend toward cleaner alternative chemistries, with a focus on enhancing physical properties in textile design to reduce the use of specialty finishes.
HealthGuard® is seeing a future with effective natural actives and formulating away from synthetic surfactants. We have already begun our new journey with Odour Master.
Odour Master has 100% natural active ingredients and we have used innovative technology of natural products in our surfactant system. Odour Master is like no other product on the market today. New exciting products utilising our new natural surfactant systems are being formulated now.
How does your company sustain its competency in the chemical market for the textile and leather industries?
We sustain our competency, by keeping abreast of industry changes and findings. By working closely with our suppliers and industry experts, coupled with our profound history in formulating, we remain diligent and at the forefront of necessary technological developments.
We comply with all standards in the markets we supply our products to. We use US EPA, APVMA and EU BPR registered suppliers, which gives us a market leading advantage.
Having attained OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT certification on certain products gives our clients 100% confidence our products are safe when used as directed.
What are the requirements and expectations of your stakeholders towards sustainable production?
Everyday we receive requests from our clients asking if our products contain many different types of undesirable chemicals. Aside from specific banned substances, the focus for customers encompass the preference for biodegradeable and non-bioaccumulative chemistry. Our foresight and innovative formulations have put us at the forefront of sustainable formulations.
How do you respond to specific stakeholder expectations?
We respond to compliance requests by the use of reputable independent testing laboratories, attaining product registrations, using registered and participating data generating suppliers and attaining globally accepted certifications, such as OEKO-TEX®.
Considering the impact that chemical products can have on the environment, would you tell us about your concrete steps in driving sustainability in the textile and leather industries?
HealthGuard® is a carbon-negative producing company. Our carbon-negative factory actively offsets the carbon produced during the manufacturing process of HealthGuard® products. Our factory now operates as a net producer of electricity, with surplus power fed directly into the Victorian state electricity grid, effectively offsetting the emissions from deliveries.
To further reduce our reliance on electricity, we have taken several measures, including the installation of smaller, more efficient electric/pneumatic motors on all our manufacturing plants, as well as energy-efficient air compressors to power our pumps and motors. To further maximise electricity usage during manufacturing, we produce in bulk quantities and employ our best efforts to obtain forecasts from customers to retain stock and maximise electricity resources.
The production of bulk quantities means that our pumps and lines need flushing less regularly further reducing waste. We have also dedicated tanks pumps and lines for each category of our product range. This minimises waste, as similar products within that product category can be manufactured back-to-back without the need to flush lines or mixing vessels. Any excess product is also retained for sample stock.
Where cleaning is required all wash water is collected and retained in our tanks and residue is disposed of through certified EPA waste disposal specialists. It is our intention that the only chemicals that leave our facility are finished products provided to our customers and not waste entering the environment. To reduce plastic waste stock piling and environmentally burdensome plastic manufacturing, we employ EPA-approved drum and IBC recycling programs for our packaging of HealthGuard® products.
In 2024, we built upon our drum recycling program and implemented our 'Reduce, Reuse, Recycle' program with local customers, which re-uses the same drum, stocking the same product. This initiative is aimed to reduce wash water used in EPA-approved drum recycling.
Our quest from the moment of concept has been not to use any environmentally persistant chemicals or bioaccumulative heavy metals in our formulations.
Our new goal is to remove any synthetic surfactants from our formulations and replace them with our 100% natural surfactant systems which we have used in Odour Master.
Our work to replace petrochemicals has been revolutionary in our field of expertise, now we own this IP and we will use the natural surfactant system to replace all petrochemicals, providing us our market leading advantage.
Our newly developed Odour Master treatment is 100% bio-degradable, leaving no environemental footpring after the treated products lifecyle. It does not cause bioaccumuluation during laundry cycles of disposal. Our R&D strategy aligns with market demands, driving innovation and leading client with cutting edge technology.
Would you cite some examples on the best practices being adopted in your production factories for better environmental & chemical management?
Answered as above, in summary:
- Carbon-Negative Production: Offsets all emissions from manufacturing.
- Solar Energy: Factory is a net electricity producer through solar generation.
- Energy Efficiency: Uses smaller motors, air compressors, and bulk production to reduce waste.
- Manufacturing Waste Reduction: Dedicated tanks and pumps minimize flushing and retain excess product for samples.
- Sustainable Cleaning: Wash water is collected; waste is EPA-certified.
- Plastic Waste Reduction: EPA-approved drum/IBC recycling and 'Reduce, Reuse, Recycle' program.
- Eco-Friendly Formulations: No persistent chemicals; switching to 100% natural surfactants.
- Petrochemical Replacement: Market-leading natural surfactant system.
- Biodegradable Products: No bioaccumulation; fully degradable after use.
Which level of OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT certificate have your chemical products attained?
Level 1 ECO Passport.
How does the OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT certification scheme help your company in communicating your success in sustainable production with your key stakeholders?
ECO PASSPORT is the essential goal of every caring manufacturer of products which are applied to textiles, we can not see a future without ECO PASSPORT certification for any products applied to textiles used in garments etc.
ECO PASSPORT is a starting point reference of using cleaner, greener chemistry without having to divulge sensitive information, or have the burden of proof persist in convincing the customer about your input ingredients. ECO PASSPORT is becoming the foundation of conversation when introducing new products.
What are the competitive advantages of getting your chemical products certified with OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT?
The advantage of the ECO PASSPORT is that clients instantly know the advantage of the certification. We always introduce our ECO PASSPORT credentials first, clients have no product resistance once ECO PASSPORT is mentioned.
Unlike a company issued declaration, ECO PASSPORT provides third-party cerficiation, ensuring greater credibility and trust in the certification process. We are fully aware of the marketing advantages by having ECO PASSPORT or our other OEKO-TEX® certifications for our products.
Our product has been rigorously tested by TESTEX, ensuring the highest standards of safety and quality. Seeing the extensive list of chemicals they screen for reinforced the care and precision we invest in our formulations.
Why did you choose OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT over other possible choices in the industry?
To a certain extent, it was encouraged as a first preference by manufacturers, before proceeding to present to retailers.
In conjunction, we have had a positive experience with our ACP OEKO-TEX® certified products, which is why OEKO-TEX is and remains our first preference of certification.
We have our other bioactive products certified by OEKO-TEX® under ACP. Given we were pioneers in the world of anti-microbial and anti-insect finishes for textiles, our clients had never heard of such teatments before and of course the first question is “is it safe?”. When you can tell your clients it is “OEKO-TEX® certified”, half the work is finished. We are proud to be associated with OEKO-TEX® for more than a quarter of a century.
We would further like to add that the ECO PASSPORT certification process is reasonably priced. When we evaluated other certifications at customers’ request, some options were largely unviable, due to having no access to local audit teams in Australia.
In what area of the ECO PASSPORT certification scheme could further improvements be made to meet the needs of your customers?
At present we are completely satisfied with the ECO PASSPORT certification, our clients are also very satisfied to have an instantly recognised ECO PASSPORT certification.
How do you comment on your experience in working with TESTEX in this OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT certification?
First class experience, from first contact to certification, communication was faultless, we have no hesitation submitting our new products for ECO PASSPORT, and subsequent testing by TESTEX.
Kate Barry who is our point of contact here in Australia, guided us seamlessly throughout the process and kept us informed of the progress to completion.
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At TESTEX, we are proud to support companies like HealthGuard® that lead with both innovation and integrity. Their commitment to safe, sustainable chemistry and transparent practices exemplifies the values we stand for—and we look forward to continuing this trusted partnership in shaping a more responsible textile industry.
Thank you to Dr. Christopher Harvey and the HealthGuard® team for sharing your insights with us.