Polyvinyl Chloride is the third most widely produced polymer in the world. It also happens to be one of the world’s most harmful materials. One PVC shower curtain can release as many as 108 volatile organic chemicals into the air, these toxins are able to cause developmental damage, liver damage and central nervous, respiratory and reproductive systems.

The superheroes here at Openhouse created a solution to this problem, by designing a friendly fabric that is not only good for the environment it actually works better than PVC. They called it micrAgard PLUS.

Openhouse made micrAgard PLUS to make a material that would satisfy the 2009 Care Quality Commission standards, which required all health services to implement procedures that would prevent infection before a subject reaches hospital.

Before this commission came in PVC had no real competitors, but when micrAgard PLUS arrived it was a feat of design and manufacture, it could not only be used to make the majority of products that employ PVC, it would also vastly improve them.

micrAgard PLUS is lighter, stronger and more resistant than PVC, it is also a stronger antimicrobial fabric. Tests were done to compare the two fabrics and micrAgard PLUS came out on top in all of them.

Resistance

Both PVC and micrAgard PLUS were scraped with a sharp, abrasive utensil. micrAgard was hardly marked and the surface material of PVC was scraped off.

Water Resistance

Both fabrics are water resistant, but after the abrasion test PVC no longer remained waterproof, micrAgard remained the same.

Strength

micrAgard PLUS was able to lift 12% more than PVC before suffering any damage.

Weight

micrAgard PLUS is 34% lighter than PVC. When you consider that a paramedic’s backpack has a restriction of 15kg, that 34% lighter material could mean bags are put to better use.

Fire

PVC burns very quickly, and releases unpleasant fumes, this would not be ideal in the fire service. micrAgard PLUS can withstand fire and although the surface was slightly burnt, the material was not compromised, the flames leaving only a shiny surface.

As you can see micrAgard PLUS is truly an industry changing material that will take PVC head on, and win.