Exclusive agreement for emergency response market

DuPont Specialty Products Kabushiki Kaisha, through its Safety and Construction business, recently announced a joint agreement with Toyobo in which DuPont secures the exclusive global marketing and distribution rights of PBO staple fibre to the emergency response (ER) market.

The global market for firefighter clothing is expected to continue to grow thanks in part to expanding markets in China and India. With this new agreement, DuPont will work to support the development of new, innovative protective clothing fabrics for the ER market that will take advantage of the combined individual characteristics of DuPont™ Kevlar®, Nomex® and PBO staple fibre.

Toyobo and DuPont are confident that the use of PBO staple fibre will enable the development and supply of next generation firefighter garments that are functional, lightweight, durable and possess super heat-resistant properties.

“We’re excited to partner with Toyobo; working together to innovate on behalf of firefighters and emergency response teams,” said John Richard, Vice President and General Manager at DuPont Safety and Construction. “The need for functional, comfortable and durable personal protective equipment has never been more paramount in the ER industry and we are proud to manufacture and provide the latest protective apparel to ER teams to ensure they are confident about their safety when addressing the community’s safety.”

PBO features one of the world’s highest levels of strength, tensile modulus and flame resistance among organic fibres and has been used in the high-performance outer shell application for more than ten years. With DuPont and Toyobo’s partnership solidified, DuPont will leverage PBO to complement the company’s high-performance outer shells for firefighter turnout gear.

For more than 50 years, DuPont has been committed to helping protect firefighters and other first responders with science-based innovations such as Kevlar® and Nomex® fibres, which provide proven protection, durability and comfort from the inside out.

“The need for functional, comfortable and durable personal protective equipment has never been more paramount in the emergency response industry”