Sappi's Neoterix ST Wins Interzum 2017 Intelligent Material & Design Award

Sappi North America, Boston, Mass., USA, a producer and global supplier of diversified paper and packaging products, has been recognized for its innovations in paper by Iinterzum, Germany. Interzum is a global trade fair for furniture production and interior design, which named Sappi's recently launched Neoterix™ ST release paper a winner of its intelligent material and design award.

Interzum's annual awards highlight visionary technologies, innovative materials, and groundbreaking design across the industry. A jury of experts is responsible for reviewing participating companies' most forward-thinking products, placing special emphasis on creative design that adds significant value to products and services.

Neoterix ST is the result of Sappi's collaboration with Sharklet Technologies Inc., Aurora, Co., with whom it entered into an exclusive, worldwide license agreement in 2016 to manufacture and distribute casting and release paper and film that feature the Sharklet microtexture. Neoterix ST, which creates surfaces that resist bacterial attachment and growth without the use of toxic additives or chemicals, was chosen by five experts in design and architecture who were given a live demonstration of its capabilities. Judges included: Dr. Luisa Bocchietto, architect and designer; Martin Darbyshire, founder and CEO of tangerine; Dick Spierenburg, designer for Spierenburg studio; Professor Dipl.-Ing. Martin Stosch; and Professor Dr. Peter Zec, founder and president of the Red Dot Award.

"We've been extremely excited about the capabilities of Neoterix ST, so we're thrilled to have it recognized by such an influential organization," said Tom Collins, VP and GM, Specialties Business, Sappi North America. "Every day people come into contact with the texture imparted by Sappi's release papers on almost every type of surface they encounter in their lives, including furniture and laminates. Neoterix ST is poised to make a significant impact on the health and safety of our home and office environments, so we hope this recognition will inspire designers, modelers, and manufacturers to start marrying their designs with powerful functionality."

Sharklet Technologies is a biotechnology company that develops surface technologies designed to inhibit microorganism growth to make the world a healthier, environmentally safer, and better place. Inspired by the microbial-resistant properties of sharkskin, Sharklet, the company's core technology, is the world's first microtexture developed to manage bacteria, including Staph, MRSA, VRE, E. coli, and a host of others. Sharklet is suited for commercial, healthcare, food service, and laboratory environments.