Articles

Silver Defender

Categories: Innovations, Trends & Technology, ISSA Member Spotlight

We are all much more conscious of what we touch after this crazy year. Door handles, shopping cart handles, credit card machines, handrails, etc. These everyday items now make us think twice before touching them. We may even grab our trusty antibacterial spray or wipes before doing so. Or we may have invested a fortune in disposable gloves. Cleanliness has become part of the new normal.

Silver Defender is here to help. It provides antimicrobial protected, self-cleaning films to protect high touch point surfaces.  Here are the answers to the questions we all want to ask: How does it work? How can I get it?

A film to fighting filth

It all started when Zeynep “Z” Ekemen, managing partner and co-founder of Silver Defender, visited a coffee shop. The idea grew after noticing the lack of cleanliness of the bathroom. The entrepreneur began to contemplate finding a trustworthy solution to help businesses provide a higher degree of cleanliness for their customers and themselves.

With that dream in place and a passion for making a difference, in 2018, Ekemen and her partners began research in the development of a product that would help keep surfaces clean. During this process, they realized there could be a better application for the antimicrobial characteristic of silver, and with that, the concept for Silver Defender came into existence.

After a great deal of research, meeting with scientists, product testing, and establishing the business and its supply chain, their hard work paid off. Silver Defender was officially launched to the public in late January of 2020, ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stick-to-itiveness

So how does this antimicrobial-protected film work? Ekemen explains: “The proprietary film designs contain an antimicrobial agent that protects the film from bacteria, mold, mildew, and fungi. Silver ions react with and affect multiple sites in bacterial cells on the exterior, keeping it clean. The technology is activated by light, air pressure, and touch, so it is constantly cleaning itself.

“The antimicrobial protected films cover any surface from door handles, elevator buttons, handrails, credit card machines, shopping carts, all bathroom touch points, and even pens, just to name a few. Our films are also waterproof and resistant to most chemicals and cleaning products.”

Silver Defender’s specifically designed, stretchable, high-quality film can be applied to any common touch point or shared surface for all industries. The public and private businesses they serve include airports, cruise ships, grocery stores, restaurants, retail stores, banks, malls, schools, office buildings, and more.

Touchy situations

As with any new innovation, Ekemen and her partners have faced struggles and challenges in bringing their product to market.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States in early 2020, demand for products like theirs escalated quickly.

After Silver Defender officially launched to the public in late January of 2020, by March 4, Ekemen found herself sitting across from the Ministry of Science and Technology at the Chinese Embassy in a high-level meeting in Washington, DC. But once she introduced the Silver Defender products, explained their antimicrobial, self-cleaning properties and how they could use this product, it turned out to be an exciting and eventful meeting.

That was just the beginning. The company had to grow fast. Since then, they have expanded their product line with the recent launch of their touch screen film and antimicrobial protected face masks with built-in Silver Defender innovative protection. Silver Defender continues to work quickly and diligently to help organizations and businesses with the process of effectively reopening.

“We need all businesses and industries to help us protect their employees and customers by installing this clean technology. We take this responsibility seriously, which means we are taking every precaution to ensure we communicate exactly what we protect against and how,” says Ekemen.

That’s a wrap!

At such a time as this, a new standard for clean is essential and Silver Defender raised the bar on clean for touch points in high traffic areas.

“Silver Defender’s adhesive films can be found in public, nonprofit, and private entities across the U.S. including airports, public transportation, retail locations, schools, hotels, government and office buildings, and more,” Ekemen says. “Silver Defender’s products are found on every continent. Notable clients include Long Island MacArthur Airport, the World Trade Center buildings, and the San Diego Zoo. Our products are now available online on Amazon and Walmart through Pharmapacks and on Quill.com. Consumers can readily order these necessary items to ensure their facilities will be cleaner than ever.”

ISSA sticks with Silver Defender

ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association, is advancing clean and driving innovation. ISSA has helped in giving this new innovation, Silver Defender, an added boost. At the ISSA Show North America Virtual Experience 2020, after exhibiting at the virtual trade show, Silver Defender won the ISSA Innovation Award for Services and Technology.

As a member of ISSA, Ekemen feels that ISSA has impacted the company significantly. She explains, “Not only has ISSA helped to boost our credibility and legitimacy as a product, but our confidence to do what we do—help to keep facilities cleaner.”

This year has taught us all to be hyper-vigilant about germs, touching, and distancing. Silver Defender’s line of products encourage touch and get cleaner with each and every tap of a finger—that’s part of how the self-protective antimicrobial films work.

As the country continues to navigate best practices for cleaning amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Silver Defender hopes to help bring a sense of normalcy back to everyday life.

Although for the moment, it is unclear if the world will ever return to what used to be normal, businesses and consumers can enjoy some peace of mind and sense of cleanliness wherever Silver Defender’s effective and innovative products are used—anywhere people touch.

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For more information, visit issa.com/magazine.