Freudenberg's Evolon certified by France 'UV Standard 801'

Enjoy the sun longer with Evolon

Aimed at determining the protection from UV radiation provided by textiles, the UV protection factor (UPF = Ultraviolet Protection Factor) indicates the factor by which the skin's own natural protection time - which depends on your individual skin type - is extended by the textile material.

As doctors record a significant increase in the number of skin cancers and call for better prevention, performance textile manufacturer Freudenberg #

 

The skin of a person with skin type 1, for example, with red or blond hair, blue eyes and a very pale complexion, has a natural protection time of about five to ten minutes. If such a person is exposed to strong sunlight for any longer without protection, they risk dangerous sunburn. If they are protected by a textile material like Evolon with UPF 80, they can extend the length of time they can remain in the sun by eighty times, without causing any skin damage. That is to say, to a maximum of 6.5 to 13 hours. 

 

The UV Standard 801 was developed to overcome the weaknesses in other existing test standards such as the Australian/New Zealand Standard (AS/NZ 4399:1996) and the European standard EN 13758-1. Both of them do not take account of the stresses and strains imposed during washing and use. By contrast, under the UV Standard 801, the UPF of a garment is determined not only when it is new, but also when it has been stretched and wetted, after mechanical strain and washing. Shading textiles are tested under the UV Standard 801 in new condition and after artificial weathering, both when they are dry and wetted.

 

To determine the Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF), standardised measuring methods and a specialist test are required and conducted by the institutes of the International Test Association for Applied UV Protection. Germany-based Hohenstein Laboratories, or France-based IFTH, which conducted the conformity tests for Evolon, are among these institutes.

 

There are now over 100 companies making a variety of products offering high UV protection who have them tested and/or certificated under UV Standard 801. Freudenberg Evolon has just been granted one of the first UV Standard 801 certificates in France. Evolon fabrics are also OEKO-TEX Standard 100 product class I certified. Freudenberg Evolon production plant is ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 and ISO 50001 accredited.