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Together, we will bring enhanced technology, material offerings, and commercial capabilities to our customers, as well as providing them with an expanded product offering and strengthened market position.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C.– June 4, 2015 – PGI announced today that it has begun to rollout a new corporate brand and identity that align with its commitment to developing and delivering high-impact solutions for its customers. As a first step in this process, PGI has selected “AVINTIV” as its new company name. The concept behind the AVINTIV name comes from the combination of the words “advanced”, “inventive”, and “innovative” and represents the company’s efforts to bring value to customers and make the world safer, cleaner, and healthier.

“The unveiling of our new name is the culmination of our successful efforts to transform into a unified specialty materials company,” commented Joel Hackney, AVINTIV’s chief executive officer. “Over the past 18 months we have worked hard to bring four companies together to create a powerful portfolio of technologies, products and services. The AVINTIV name embodies our progress, our scale, and our ambitions to continue driving growth and innovation.”

PGI has expanded its portfolio significantly and the new name will be distinctive, memorable, and relevant across all three of its areas of focus: Infection Prevention, Personal Care, and High Performance Solutions. Its Infection Prevention business develops materials that help keep people healthy by blocking or reducing the spread of infectious substances, the Personal Care business provides materials that enhance people’s lifestyles through improved comfort, convenience, discretion, or appearance, and the High Performance Solutions business offers materials that deliver a performance or environmental advantage over existing and alternative technologies for infrastructure and transportation end customers.

In connection with this new name, PGI has unveiled the new logo for AVINTIV, which is built on bold colors and confident shapes, which are representative of the impact its solutions have on the world.

The Company is changing the name of its parent company from PGI Specialty Materials, Inc. to AVINTIV Inc., as the first step in a broader identity transformation. The Company will register similar name changes for many of its operating subsidiaries and will roll out a new branding and identity concept in the coming weeks and months.

About AVINTIV Inc.

AVINTIV Inc. is one of the world’s leading developers, producers and marketers of specialty materials used in infection prevention, personal care and high performance solutions. With 23 locations in 14 countries, an employee base of over 4,500 people and the broadest range of process technologies in our industry, AVINTIV is a global supplier to leading consumer and industrial product manufacturers. AVINTIV’s manufacturing facilities are strategically located near many key customers.

For more information please contact: Dennis Norman Chief Financial Officer AVINTIV (Formerly PGI Specialty Materials, Inc.) T +1 704 697 5186 F +1 704 697 5122 NormanD@pginw.com

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When visiting the Chicopee booth, attendees were able to experience demonstration stations in sanitizing compatibility for a facility from the front-of-house, back-of-house, floor and restroom. Chicopee product managers were on-hand to lead product demonstrations and discuss trends and issues facing the foodservice, restaurant and lodging industries.

At this year’s show, Chicopee featured S.U.D.S. Towels for sanitizing and cleaning. This Single Use Dispensing System supports front-of-house, back-of-house, and restroom protocols with color coded lids for zone cleaning. It not only yields superior liquid absorption and debris pick-up, but offers superior sanitation with lower cost-per-use up to fifty percent.

Product highlights included the introduction of S.U.D.S Towels, Microfiber Light for Surface Care, and Floor Care Dusting. And in appreciation for attending the demonstrations, attendees received a “thank you gift” which included an automatic entry for a GoPro® (a $400 value)!

The annual National Restaurant Show is the largest single gathering of restaurant, foodservice and lodging professionals. Held at McCormick Place in Chicago, the event attracts over 44,000 attendees and visitors from all 50 states and 100+ countries, and showcases thousands of services, innovative ideas and growth opportunities.

“With innovative products engineered for cleaning and sanitizing, we have the right wipes and towels to help operator’s face their daily cleaning challenges and what better venue to highlight new products than at the NRA tradeshow,” said Dawn Huston, Director of Marketing for Chicopee.

“It’s the perfect opportunity to gather customer feedback and a valuable way to demonstrate how our products can lead to a healthy environment that ultimately saves money.”

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With growing concerns of community-acquired infections in public spaces, Chicopee, a leader in food service sanitation wiping solutions and creator of Chix®SC, believes restaurants need to review their front-of -house cleaning procedures.

Chicopee, the founder of the sanitizer compatible foodservice towel Chix®SC, released a statement today on the need for a higher level of cleaning protocol throughout the restaurant industry to assist in the prevention of community-acquired infection (CAI) outbreaks.

The recent widespread fear of a national outbreak of both the Ebola virus and Enterovirus D68 has food safety advocates urging that restaurants update their cleaning protocols. As the US ramps up for the beginning of influenza season, the company believes restaurant owners and staff should be taking precautions to ensure public areas within their facilities do not breed germs that could spread CAIs.

While restaurant sanitation and cleanliness is often considered to be straightforward by many restaurant owners, Dawn Huston, director of marketing, for Chicopee believes the effectiveness of sanitation is dependent upon several variables: sanitizer selected; properties of water used including temperature, hardness and pH; dwell time of the sanitizer on the surface; and chemical interactions between the cleaning towel and sanitizer.

“Restaurant owners need to thoroughly review the steps they take to clean their restaurants both in their kitchen and in their front-of-house,” explained Huston. “While a restaurant may appear clean we know that is not always the case. It is important to be consistent and meticulous with their surface cleaning regimen.”

Since many infected people often do not have visible symptoms, Huston urges restaurants to be proactive rather than reactive in their cleaning schedule. The team at Chicopee suggests that restaurant staffers should clean and disinfect frequently touched areas regularly to ensure that surfaces are clean for their patrons.

To help restaurants combat the effects of flu season and potential widespread illness, the company is currently offering free Chix®SC Test Kits to allow restaurants the ability to test the compatibility of their sanitizer with their current towel versus Chix®SC. Interested food safety advocates can sign-up for a free Chix®SC Test Kit here: http://chixsc.com/chix-sc-sign-up/.

“We stand behind our Chix®SC towels and have proven results that show how our product will help make your front-of-house cleaning protocol effective in the fight against CAIs,” said Huston. For more information on best practices and how to select the right wiping solution to support your sanitizer or disinfectant protocols, visit the Chix®SC website or download their whitepaper here: http://chixsc.com/homepage-whitepaper/.

Dawn Huston is a Certified Foodservice Professional® and ServSafe® Certified with over 20 years’ experience in foodservice operations, sales, and marketing.

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To prevent the spread of norovirus, the CDC recommends frequent cleaning of kitchen surfaces, objects and equipment using EPA-approved chlorine-based sanitizers designed to eliminate norovirus. The restaurant industry promotes a two-step process for sanitizing surface areas — wiping once to pick up dirt and particles and a second time to apply sanitizer. But specialized sanitizers and strict sanitizing protocols may not be enough to kill the stubborn norovirus microbes that live and grow on surfaces for up to two weeks.

Scientific studies have shown that fibers in standard cotton and paper foodservice towels bond with chlorine-based sanitizers, locking in 40 percent of the active ingredients upon absorption. This bonding action depletes the sanitizer of its germ-fighting capabilities and prevents it from killing the deadly norovirus bacteria by the time it reaches the surface.

Chicopee provides an easy and affordable solution to help prevent these outbreaks with its line of innovative food-service towels. ChixSC Professional Foodservice Compatible Towels are made with a proprietary blend of nonwoven and synthetic fibers that absorb and release the sanitizer onto the surface at full strength. ChixSC been shown to outperform the leading cotton and paper brands by 200 percent when measuring the strength of sanitizer absorbed and released onto surfaces.

And since ChixSC towels are compatible with both quat- and chlorine-based sanitizers, only one type of towel needs to be purchased instead of two, which lead to lower costs. Using one towel also makes it easier and less costly to train employees on proper sanitization procedures.

Effective sanitizing with ChixSC towels will not only make a difference in guarding against deadly outbreaks, it will also prevent food-service establishments from incurring steep business losses and damaged reputations. Costs associated with food-borne illnesses range from $12-$25 billion annually and an outbreak could run into millions of dollars for a single foodservice operation.

Visit www.CHIXSC.com to view a demonstration of the sanitizer depletion/compatibility phenomenon. Visitors to the site can also order free test kits at ChixSC.com and make a direct comparison between the performance of their current towel and CHIX SC.

ABOUT Chicopee Chicopee, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a subsidiary of PGI, a worldwide manufacturer of nonwoven cleaning fabrics and packaged wipes for the health-care, hygiene and industrial sectors. Chicopee’s North America division provides roll goods and finished, packaged wipes for foodservice, building-care, health-care, general purpose and consumer-retail applications. The Europe division provides finished, packaged wipes and roll goods engineered for automotive, aftermarket, foodservice, building-care, industry, health-care, consumer home-care and consumer personal-care applications.

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The sanitizer must be at certain concentration levels and stay on the food-contact surface for a specified time period, or “dwell time,” to effectively kill harmful bacteria that could lead to food-borne illnesses.

If applied properly, sanitizers reduce the amount of bacteria on food-contact surfaces by 99.999 percent. That does depend on what types of towels are being used in the sanitization process.

Scientific studies have shown that cotton and paper towels, commonly used by restaurants, diminish a sanitizer’s germ-fighting power. A recent USDA study discovered an electrostatic attraction that takes place between the sanitizer’s active ingredients and the towel’s fibers. The reaction causes the towel’s fibers to lock in 40 percent of the sanitizer, depleting its ability to kill bacteria before reaching the surface.

Chicopee® has an innovative, affordable solution to this problem: CHIX®SC Professional Foodservice Compatible Towels. Made with a proprietary blend of non-woven and synthetic fibers, the towels release sanitizer at full-potency, effectively killing harmful bacteria. And because Chix SC towels are compatible with both quat- and chlorine-based sanitizers, they simplify the cleaning process and make employee training easier.

Testing shows that Chix SC towels repeatedly outperform cotton and paper towels by 200 percent. Available in white, blue, yellow and red, CHIX SC sanitizer compatible foodservice towels also support color-coded zone cleaning protocols.

Foodservice operators can visit www.CHIXSC.com to view a demonstration and order free test kits at ChixSC.com so they can make a direct comparison between the performance of their current towel and CHIX SC.

About Chicopee Chicopee-Americas, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a subsidiary of PGI, a worldwide leader in the manufacturer of non-woven cleaning fabrics and packaged wipes for healthcare, hygiene and industry. Chicopee’s North America division provides roll goods and finished, packaged wipes for foodservice, building maintenance, healthcare, general purpose and consumer retail applications. The European division provides finished , packaged wipes and roll goods engineered for automotive aftermarket, food service, building maintenance, industrial, healthcare, consumer home care, and consumer personal care applications.

® Chicopee and CHIX are registered trademarks of Polymer Group, Inc.

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Charlotte, NC: A new white paper proves that ChixSC Sanitizer Compatible Foodservice Towels repeatedly outperformed cotton and paper towels by 200 percent. The results of third-party tests conducted in partnership with a national restaurant chain have been published by Chicopee, a PGI company, in the paper “Chicopee Chix SC Sanitizer Compatible Performance White Paper”.

The white paper cites scientific studies showing cotton and paper towels diminish the germ-fighting powers of commercial sanitizers. Up to 40% of the potency from the solution in sanitizer buckets can be locked up in cotton towels due to a chemical bond that forms between the towel and the sanitizer. The solution that transfers to the food prep surface has been depleted of sanitizer, increasing the risk of exposing customers to food-borne illnesses. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, half of the 48 million cases of food-borne illnesses in the United States each year are linked to restaurant and food establishments. Costs associated with foodborne illnesses range from $12-$25 billion annually and a single outbreak could run into millions of dollars for a foodservice operation. Restaurants may still be exposing customers to bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses if they continue to use cotton or paper towels, despite faithful compliance with cleaning and sanitization protocols.

Chix SC towels are cost-effective and easy to add to existing sanitizing procedures. A proprietary blend of nonwoven and synthetic fibers are engineered to release both quat- and chlorine-based sanitizer onto food prep surfaces at full potency. Available in white, blue, yellow and red, ChixSC Sanitizer Compatible Foodservice Towels also support color-coded zone cleaning protocols.

Visit www.CHIXSC.com to view a demonstration of the sanitizer depletion/compatibility phenomenon. Visitors to the site can also order free test kits at ChixSC.com and make a direct comparison between the performance of their current towel and CHIX SC.

To get the full white paper, send a request to Dawn Huston marketingchicopee@pginw.com

About Chicopee Chicopee-Americas, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a subsidiary of PGI, a worldwide leader in the manufacturer of nonwoven cleaning fabrics and packaged wipes for healthcare, hygiene and industry. Chicopee’s North America division provides roll goods and finished, packaged wipes for foodservice, building maintenance, healthcare, general purpose and consumer retail applications. The European division provides finished, packaged wipes and roll goods engineered for automotive aftermarket, food service, building maintenance, industrial, healthcare, consumer home care, and consumer personal care applications.

® Chicopee is a registered trademark of Chicopee, Inc. CHIX is a registered trademark of PGI Polymer, Inc.

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CHIX SC towels are a significant advance in the fight against foodborne illnesses and cross-contamination, helping stem the spread of salmonella, E. coli, listeria and other pathogens. While laundered cotton towels, paper towels and other non-woven wipes have been shown to deplete sanitizer potency, CHIX SC towels are proven to deliver sanitizer solutions at acceptable levels to foodservice surfaces.

Sanitizer compatibility is a vital benefit provided by CHIX SC, and it applies equally to sanitizing systems utilizing quaternary ammonia, chlorine, or hydrogen peroxide. In addition, CHIX SC towels are engineered to dislodge and collect particles, to rinse clean, and to provide sufficient durability to perform for a full 8-hour shift and beyond.

CHIX SC sanitizer compatible foodservice towels are compatible with color-coded zone cleaning protocols, with towels available in white, blue, yellow and red.

Visitors to www.CHIXSC.com are able to view a demonstration of the sanitizer depletion/compatibility phenomenon, and to request a free test kit, enabling them to make a direct comparison between the performance of their current towel and CHIX SC.

About Chicopee Chicopee-Americas, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a subsidiary of PGI, a worldwide leader in the manufacturer of nonwoven cleaning fabrics and packaged wipes for healthcare, hygiene and industry. Chicopee’s North America division provides roll goods and finished, packaged wipes for foodservice, building maintenance, healthcare, general purpose and consumer retail applications. The European division provides finished , packaged wipes and roll goods engineered for automotive aftermarket, food service, building maintenance, industrial, healthcare, consumer home care, and consumer personal care applications.

® Chicopee and CHIX are registered trademarks of Polymer Group, Inc.

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Made with a proprietary blend of nonwoven synthetic fibers, ChixSC towels release the sanitizer at full-potency. Because ChixSC towels are compatible with both quat- and chlorine-based sanitizers, they simplify the sanitizing process and make training staff easier. Available in white, blue, yellow and red, CHIX SC sanitizer compatible foodservice towels also support color-coded zone cleaning protocols.

Foodservice operators can visit www.CHIXSC.com to view a demonstration of the sanitizer depletion/compatibility phenomenon. Visitors to the site can also order free test kits at ChixSC.com and make a direct comparison between the performance of their current towel and CHIX SC.

About Chicopee Chicopee-Americas, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a subsidiary of PGI, a worldwide leader in the manufacturer of nonwoven cleaning fabrics and packaged wipes for healthcare, hygiene and industry. Chicopee’s North America division provides roll goods and finished, packaged wipes for foodservice, building maintenance, healthcare, general purpose and consumer retail applications. The European division provides finished , packaged wipes and roll goods engineered for automotive aftermarket, food service, building maintenance, industrial, healthcare, consumer home care, and consumer personal care applications.

® Chicopee is a registered trademark of Chicopee, Inc. CHIX is a registered trademark of PGI Polymer, Inc.

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HACCP International is an organisation that operates an assessment and certification scheme for equipment and materials used by the industry. Certification is a means of assuring that the equipment and materials can be used by the food industry without risk to the food safety controls that they have implemented as part of their HACCP-based food safety management system.

But how do restaurants and hotels know if they’re providing the cleanest clean possible? What common pitfalls and dangers in the food industry are the biggest challenges? We sat down with Richard Mallett, Managing Director of the European division of HACCP International, to discuss trends and warning signs of which everyone in the industry should be aware.

The trend is building

In the food industry, safety and sustainability are top of mind. Not only for consumers, but along the entire supply chain. Creating the cleanest, most healthy environment for food preparation is a must. But how can restaurants and hotels ensure that when they clean, they’re not only removing the dirt they see, but the bacteria they don’t see?

The enemies within

Since 2005, very little has changed in Europe with regard to food-borne illnesses. More often than not, just two microbes cause the majority of sicknesses: a bacterium called Campylobacter and a virus called Norovirus. In fewer cases – far less frequent but much more dangerous – food-borne illness can be caused by some strains of E. coli and Listeria monocytogenes.

All of these microbes have one thing in common: they can cause illness even when as few as 10 -100 virus particles or bacterial cells are present. That means that food preparation surfaces can’t just be “clean to the eye” – they must be clean of dangerous levels of micro-organisms. Otherwise, restaurants and hotels run the risk of endangering the health of their customers and employees.

Recognising the risk

Not surprisingly, the solution lies in education. Because we know what microbes we’re fighting, we also know how to defeat them. So, why do new cases of food-borne illness pop up, year after year?

• Profit before safety: Sometimes, the problem lies with management. Although senior managers may be aware of the risks these bacteria and viruses form, they sometimes put profit ahead of safety. The choice to use inferior (cheaper) cleaning products or limit the amount of cleaning solutions used in a certain amount of time increase the chances of bacteria and viruses surviving on a surface and then going on to cross contaminate food. In fact profit has been proven to go hand-in-hand with good food safety practices – clean food and happy customers drive sales and profit.
• Improper training: While restaurant owners may know about the importance of proper cleaning, they may not spend enough time and effort training their staff. Or, they may not be sufficiently qualified to train staff on proper cleaning methods. Cost-cutting efforts may also play a role in insufficient training.
• Time crunch: In a busy, hectic industrial kitchen, sufficient time may not be given to effective cleaning techniques. Many kitchens believe that intermittent ‘deep cleans’ can make up for hasty cleaning sessions during busy times. But nothing is further from the truth.

Advice from the experts

So what does the HACCP International recommend? It’s quite simple. Owners and managers of industrial kitchens must be fully aware of – and compliant with – the food safety standards demanded by food safety legislation in the kitchen. No matter what the cost or time constraints may be, there is no excuse for the use of inferior products or shortcuts in cleaning. After all, the few cents saved in an insufficient cleaning job is not worth the health – and life – of a customer who trusts you. Nor indeed is it worth the brand damage that would occur from a food poisoning incident.

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Quality products begin with a quality company. That’s why Chicopee is proud to announce that we have renewed our ISO 9001:2008 certification. It confirms our commitment to excellence in every aspect of our business – from supplies to hiring to production to the shipment of our products.

We spoke to Frank Pörteners, Manufacturing Director, and Sander Lomans, Quality Systems Manager, to find out how Chicopee maintains this important certification, and what it means for you.

A history of value

Since 1993, Chicopee has fulfilled the ISO standards for quality business practices, effective documentation, continuous improvement, and proven systems for managing and preventing potential concerns. Every Chicopee employee is committed to the highest standards in business activities, process improvement and product manufacturing.

Through regular internal audits and annual external audits, every aspect of our business is examined and evaluated, to ensure that it is as effective, efficient and up-to-date as possible. We document every detail, to ensure we never lose sight of our goal to be the best company possible.

Then, every three years, external auditors spend three days digging deep into our company, examining our processes, our people and our production models before determining whether we still qualify for ISO certification. This year’s audit focused on development, manufacturing and sales. The auditors did not find a single area of non-conformity. They renewed our certification until January 2016.

A symbol of reliability

The ISO certification is just another way Chicopee shows our customers that we are a company they can trust. We not only create state-of-the-art products, but we are committed to doing so in the safest, most organized, most well controlled company we can be. Our innovation does not stop at our products – we find new ways to improve processes, troubleshoot, and report on our progress at every turn.

Through a unique software-based system, we ensure that every employee – from the stock room to the Board room – knows the latest standards and changes our company has put in place, and is trained in the most effective ways to execute their jobs.

A partner to trust

The recent ISO re-certification shows our customers that Chicopee is a reliable and consistent business partner. We not only stand behind the quality of our products, but also behind the quality of our company. We’re committed to continuous improvement and innovation, not only in our exciting cleaning products, but also in our business activities and production processes.

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For the second year in a row, the J-Cloth 3000 has been selected as one of Tomorrow’s Cleaning’s Top Products of 2012. According to Tomorrow’s Cleaning, the J-Cloth 3000 is ‘setting a new standard in industrial cleaning’.

Of course, it’s the fact that the cloth is biodegradable and fully compostable that makes it so exciting. But no matter how green the J-Cloth 3000 is, it never sacrifices the clean. This tough, durable wipe is strong, hygienic, and available in five colors to comply with HACCP regulations for the prevention of cross-contamination. It provides safe, reliable cleaning, use after use, then biodegrades and leaves no trace behind.

‘It’s no surprise that the J-Cloth 3000 continues to attract interest and excitement,’ says John Whalley, Business Development Manager UK. ‘It remains a unique product on the market and stands alone in the industry for its strength and durability, combined with its biodegradability and the fact that it can be completely composted.’

The future is today

But just because the J-Cloth 3000 has been heralded as a top product for two years in a row doesn’t mean that Chicopee has stopped innovating with it. On the contrary, this revolutionary product continues to open up new doors. John and the UK team are exploring new and innovative ways to utilize the amazingly properties of the J-Cloth 3000, both inside and outside the food industry.

The cloth’s strength, durability and green qualities make it an essential tool in any kitchen that employs Fair Trade and environmentally friendly practices. But the future of the J-Cloth extends much further.

• Rolling forward: A new version of the J-Cloth 3000, in handy roll format, is now available. That means the greenest clean available, in the size and quantity needed for any cleanup job
• Thinking bigger: Perhaps the most exciting and revolutionary development in the J-Cloth 3000 world is the exploration of its use in markets such as agriculture, hydroponics, and industrial filtration. And we’re not talking about cleaning up in those industries, but about using the J-Cloth as a compostable filtration substrate! Business Development teams are in talks with major industrial companies to find out the ways to bring this revolutionary material to evolutionary new heights

A taste for more

Congratulations to the J-Cloth 3000 for impressing the experts at Tomorrow’s Cleaning for the second year in a row, and for continuing to lead the industry in better, stronger, greener cleaning. This amazing cloth not only sets the standard by which all other cloths are measured, but surpasses all imitators in strength, durability, design, hygiene, and biodegradability.

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