-- The digital supply chain solutions provider adds the masks with
     antimicrobial protection to its worry-free materials management program

SDI, a leader in digital supply chain services and solutions, has added a new 
line of antimicrobial protective gear to its PPE As-a-Service(SM) offering. 
Acteev Protect(TM) products are targeted toward educators, retail employees, 
manufacturing workers and others who need a face covering that stays 
comfortable and maintains freshness when worn for the duration of a shift.

The Acteev Protect line includes face coverings that meet the new ASTM 
International standards for masks. SDI selected Acteev Protect because of this 
combination of performance and wearability, said Jim Owens, SVP at SDI. 
"Ensuring customers have access to PPE is essential. Teachers, retailers and 
production line workers -- who work in close proximity or in public-facing 
positions -- deserve masks that are comfortable and breathable," Owens said. 
"With antimicrobial and antibacterial properties to keep them clean, Acteev 
Protect face coverings give wearers extra confidence and peace of mind that 
their masks will last and stay fresh."

Acteev(TM) is a patent-pending technology that embeds zinc ions in a polymer to 
create long-lasting antimicrobial properties. Products made with Acteev are 
protected from odor-causing bacteria and fungi and are abrasion-resistant, soft 
and durable. Because the zinc ions are embedded during the polymerization 
process, articles made with Acteev retain their antimicrobial efficacy for the 
life of the product.

Acteev Protect's reusability is a sought-out feature by those concerned with 
sustainability, according to Dr. Lu Zhang, Ascend's VP of Acteev. "More than 94 
million masks are sent to landfills each week," Zhang said. "Acteev's zinc ion 
technology makes our masks self-cleaning and reusable. And if they get dusty or 
soiled, then can be washed."

Darayus Pardivala, the president of the Americas division of Sulzer Rotating 
Equipment Services, purchased the masks for employees at all 32 of the 
company's locations in North and South America. "They're much easier to breathe 
through compared to what we had in the past, there's an added level of 
protection [for the masks] and our employees are much more comfortable," 
Pardivala said. "The pushback we had in the past about wearing masks is 
completely gone."

For more information on this product line in the PPE As-a-Service supply chain 
solution, contact Jim Owens at jim.owens@sdi.com.

About Ascend Performance Materials: www.ascendmaterials.com
About Acteev: www.acteev.com 
About SDI's PPE-As-a-Service: www.sdi.com/ppe-service

Contact: Nicki Britton, +1 832-205-4854, nbritt@ascendmaterials.com 

SOURCE: Ascend Performance Materials