Ingredients The Power of Zinc on Stink With normal fabrics come normal problems. After a rainy hike, your clothes might, well, smell like a long, rainy hike. Frequent washing and maintaining is generally how consumers try to deal with such an odor problem, but that comes with its own problems. Upkeep, such as frequent washing, can be abrasive to gear and wear it down more rapidly, increasing the need to replace items, emptying wallets and filling up landfills. Then there’s the amount of water and energy used when repeatedly washing clothes and gear. That nasty smell, however, isn’t your sweat. Those odors are caused by bacteria, or rather by the eating habits of bacteria. Odor-causing bacteria live in abundance on our skin, and some strains love to dine on the product of a good adventure. The foul odor many of us think of as “sweat” in reality comes from the waste products created when bacteria break down the proteins in our sweat. Fortunately, nature provides a solution — an elemental safeguard that not only protects gear from odor and mildew but also lasts the life of the product. Zinc is a naturally occurring essential mineral all humans need. Internally, it helps your immune system and metabolism function and is essential in the ability to heal wounds. Externally, zinc oxide is a common ingredient used in sunscreens and is considered Generally Regarded as Safe by the FDA. Zinc also has powerful antimicrobial properties. In its ionic form, it acts as a Trojan horse for odor-causing bacteria. Like humans, bacteria need zinc to survive. Because bacteria “recognize” the zinc, they invite it in. But in high concentrations, zinc is toxic to bacteria. The zinc ions outcompete other essential nutrients, hijacking the metabolic processes required for bacterial growth and preventing the organisms from reproducing. Essentially, the active zinc ions “starve” the odor-causing bacteria and keep it from reproducing. Most current solutions for antimicrobial, anti-odor protection include using silver or copper coatings on items and fabrics. These coatings can be effective, but they also come with disadvantages. Since silver or copper is applied as a coating after the final product is produced, normal washing and wear and tear can cause the coating to break down. Additionally, odor-causing bacteria have been known to learn to recognize and build up resistance to silver coatings over time. Zinc ions, on the other hand, are embedded directly into fiber and maintain efficacy throughout the life of the item. Skipping the coating and embedding zinc into the fiber also saves both energy and water in the creation of the product, making it a more sustainable process over existing solutions. To learn more about the power of zinc technology, visit OR.Acteev.com/ Winter-2022. Gnarly Nutrition has transitioned its product packaging to highly recyclable tin coated steel cans, moving away from plastic tubs. As the first sports nutrition brand to utilize steel cans, Gnarly is looking to spearhead a movement in sustainable packaging within the supplement industry. Shannon O’Grady, COO at Gnarly Nutrition, had been thinking about ways to adopt sustainable packaging for many years, and the idea of switching to metal sparked when she was drinking from a large mouth beer can. Not only is the recycling rate of steel immensely higher than plastic (70 percent compared to 7 percent, said O’Grady), steel can be pulled out of landfills with magnets even after discarded. And, unlike plastic, steel can be recycled indefinitely with no loss of quality. Gnarly believes that in a sea of HDPE tubs among nutritional products, its steel can packaging stands out. And in addition to superior recyclability, steel cans also are hermetic, or air-tight, thus improving shelf life and product integrity. Gnarly is a member of the Plastic Impact Al l iance and just signed on to be one of the 100-plus brands dedicated to reshaping packaging as part of prAna’s Responsible Packaging Movement. Gnarly Gets Steely on Plastic Packaging InsideOutdoor | WINTER 2022 22
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