NAT Completes Crailar Trial at Barnhardt Manufacturing

Vancouver, Canada-based Naturally Advanced Technologies Inc. (NAT), provider of Crailar enzymatic technology for processing bast fibers, has completed its final large-scale production and commercialization trial with Charlotte, N.C.-based Barnhardt Manufacturing Company, a global supplier of bleached and chemically enhanced cotton fibers and nonwoven products including medical, dental and hygiene.

Bast fibers are plant fibers collected from the inner bark of primarily dicotyledonous (certain types of flowering) plants, and are used for a variety of woven and non-woven applications. Crailer is organically certified fiber derived from natural bast fibers (such as hemp and flax), which are then treated with an enzymatic bath and spun into soft, white fibers similar to organic cotton.

NAT and Barnhardt signed a third-party manufacturing agreement in March 2012 under which Barnhardt would process Crailar fiber produced at NAT’s pilot facility in Kingstree, S.C., and eventually at NAT’s first full-scale production facility currently under construction in Pamplico, S.C. where flax is grown nearby as a winter crop. The agreement calls for Barnhardt to execute the Crailar enzymatic process exclusively for NAT, and expands upon manufacturing plans announced earlier this year.

“This is a validating step for Crailar as we demonstrate the ability of our technology to scale without risk, and as we finalize the completion of our full scale production facility in Pamplico, S.C.,” said Ken Barker, CEO, NAT. “Most importantly, this is a key milestone as we look to expand finished products available at retail, and industries within which consumers will soon be experiencing Crailar Flax Fiber.”