CANADA: DuPont’s CoolMax Wins Military Contract

The Canadian Department of National Defence's "Clothe the Soldier" project will use DuPont's CoolMax brand of moisture-management fabric for new temperate underwear. Each of the military's 50,000 Canadian ground troops, as well as regular and reserve personnel, will be issued five pairs of the unisex underwear. Last year, the project selected CoolMax for their Light Weight Thermal Underwear (LWTU) system. Both the LWTU and the new unisex Temperate Underwear are compatible with the Canadian Improved Environmental Clothing System (IECS), a three-tiered layered clothing system designed to protect soldiers and enhance comfort in temperatures from -57 to 10°C. Canadian manufacturer Stanfields, which is also responsible for the production of the LWTU, won the contract to produce and provide the CoolMax underwear, and will use spun yarn supplied by Cavalier Textiles of Quebec. Stanfields has already begun production of 381,618 pairs of the Canadian green unisex underwear; delivery of the garments to all land force, regular, and reserve military personnel began in June and should be completed by the end of 2001. In related news, the U.S. Military, including the Army, Navy, and Marines, recently renewed a multi-year agreement specifying that official dress socks and boot liners are to be made of DuPont CoolMax.