An innovative textile with the potential to significantly reduce injuries inflicted by terrorist attack, industrial accident or natural disaster has won a national award designed to spotlight the best in performance textiles. The 2008 Performance Textiles Award for Excellence was presented to Heathcoat Fabrics Ltd. for the Auxetix material, developed in association with Auxetix and the University of Exeter. Auxetix fabric effectively widens when stretched (unlike other materials), which can bring a host of benefits, particularly in terms of impact absorption.

The award was presented as part of the Performance Textiles Association (PTA) two-day exhibition, “Textiles at Work 2008,” held at the Bournemouth (U.K.) International Centre in March 2008. PTA president David Ramus commented, “The awards not only show the innovative thinking and creative ways in which textiles are being employed, but also the diversity of the applications in which they are used in what is estimated to be a global market valued at some $100 billion.” For information, visit www.performancetextiles.org.uk.