SM teams up with nonwovens industry experts Chapas & Chinai Associates to provide product innovation services

Cary, NC April 19, 2013. INDA, Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, announced today it has become a member of the Sustainable Minds Industry Sponsor Program. Sustainable Minds is the global leader in cloud-based Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) software that enables companies in a wide range of industries to design greener products. The goal of this relationship is to enable manufacturers across the nonwovens value chain to credibly, efficiently and cost-effectively evaluate the environmental performance of nonwovens to design innovative greener products. The Sustainable Minds nonwovens solution will include a continually expanding dataset, example products, knowledge sharing, training and a platform for showcasing greener materials and products, their uses and applications.

The first offering, the expanded nonwovens lifecycle dataset, will be available in Version 3.0 of Sustainable Minds software due for release in May 2013. The 3.0 Release will include publicly available data for materials and processes and focus initially on several product categories. On an ongoing basis, to expand these and to add new categories, SM will create new data through its Custom Data Creation Program and publish existing data provided by nonwoven manufacturers and other industry sources.

To facilitate the rapid adoption of this solution, SM will be offering nonwovens manufacturers discounted access to the software. Additionally, SM has teamed with nonwovens industry experts Chapas & Chinai Associates to provide expert nonwovens benchmarking and innovation services. “We have had a dialogue with Sustainable Minds for some time. Unlike other LCA software providers, they recognize the importance of expanding the nonwovens dataset for use by manufacturers globally”, says Dave Rousse, INDA President. “Designing greener products is becoming increasingly important in all industries. It is critical for raw material suppliers, roll goods suppliers, end product and process equipment manufacturers within the nonwoven industry to keep up with this trend to develop and showcase their products’ environmental performance. Operating with sustainable principles can also save costs. This relationship is yet another example of INDA's commitment to advancing nonwovens globally by providing members access to the information and tools to better plan and execute their product development and sustainability strategy”, says Rousse.

“The nonwoven fabrics industry is growing worldwide and with the push for developing greener products, there is demand for knowledge and data from companies in other industries as well. To develop a unique solution for this industry with INDA, allows us to provide the marketplace with best in class industry expertise. This relationship aligns with our mission to help companies drive revenue and growth through greener product innovation,” says Terry Swack, CEO Sustainable Minds. “At the start, this will help companies speed up the development process by giving them a dynamic tool to rapidly evaluate, compare and improve their products' environmental performance”. “As part of INDA's Sustainability Committee, we identified Sustainable Minds as the resource who can provide us customized data for the nonwovens industry. We are pleased to be working with INDA and Sustainable Minds to help members achieve leadership in developing more sustainable solutions”, says Rich Chapas, Prinicipal, Chapas, Chinai and Associates.

For more information about the Sustainable Minds nonwovens solutions, the new Version 3.0 and how to get your nonwovens product data into Sustainable Minds, visit www.sustainableminds.com/nonwovens.

ABOUT:

INDA
INDA is the leading global association of the nonwoven fabrics industry. Since 1968, INDA has provided a variety of industry focused networking events to help members increase sales and market share. INDA is the nonwoven industry’s premier source for market leading education, global forecasts, testing standards and trend reports which provide members the information and knowledge to better plan and execute their business. Through its on-the-ground efforts in Washington DC, INDA provides members a strong voice within government on topics that affect the nonwovens industry. For more information visit www.inda.org.

Sustainable Minds®
Sustainable Minds is the #1 cloud life cycle assessment (LCA) software for greener product innovation used by industry and education in 600 locations in 60 countries worldwide. Sustainable Minds’ easy-to-use, standardized solution makes it possible for manufacturers across the value chain – large and small – to dynamically evaluate, compare and improve their products' environmental performance by integrating life cycle thinking and LCA into their product development processes. The company has been recognized by Gartner® in its 2013 Cool Vendor Report as ‘innovative, impactful and intriguing.’ To learn why, visit www.sustainableminds.com or call 617 401-2269.

Chapas & Chinai Associates
Chapas & Chinai Associates provides consulting serves to the nonwovens industry in new product development, sustainability, and innovation. Their focus is the development of new and improved products based on expertise and experience in nonwovens, absorbent materials and products, biodegradable and renewable materials, adhesives, resins, composites, polymer technology, consumer and industrial disposable products, such as, wipes, filtration, and medical devices. Their capabilities include product design, data analysis from laboratory and consumer testing, raw material sourcing, sustainability and environmental conformance.

INDA.org press release >