Polartec and Kraig Biocraft Laboratories to Bring First Spider Silk Fabrics to the Performance Apparel Market

ANDOVER, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–lt;a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%24KBLB&src=ctag" target="_blank"gt;$KBLBlt;/agt; lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KBLB?src=hash" target="_blank"gt;#KBLBlt;/agt;–Polartec, the premium provider of innovative and sustainable textile
solutions, and Kraig Biocraft Laboratories (Kraig) (OTC:KBLB), the
biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization
of spider silk, announce plans to bring to market the first fabrics made
from spider silk. Initially developed for specialized military
applications, these first-of-their-kind materials made from recombinant
spider silk will eventually service the global market for high
performance textiles and apparel.

Among the strongest fibers produced in nature, scalable and
cost-effective production of spider silk represents a ‘holy grail’ of
material science. Kraig possesses the exclusive right to use patented
spider silk gene sequences in silkworms, which is the first way to mass
produce these fibers cost effectively and responsibly. (Spiders cannot
be raised in colonies and competitors rely on genetically engineered
E.coli bacteria to make silk, which produces high levels of carbon
dioxide in addition to being cost prohibitive.)

“Teaming with an industry leader such as Polartec is a real endorsement
of our proprietary approach to unlocking the potential of commercially
produced spider silk,” says Kim Thompson, Kraig Laboratories founder and
CEO. “Kraig believes that spider silk, with its superior mechanical
characteristics, has the potential to surpass the current generation of
high performance fibers.”

These fully renewable, biodegradable and biocompatible ‘super fibers’
are thin, lightweight, flexible, resilient, extraordinarily strong, and
display strength-to-weight ratios more comparable to aramid fibers than
other current performance fibers. In apparel applications, the
possibilities of recombinant spider silks are particularly exciting,
realizing unprecedented combinations of physical properties such as
luxurious feel and breathable comfort with top durability.

In joint development since 2016, Polartec and Kraig are applying the
performance characteristics of spider silk into yarns for military-grade
textiles.

“This project combines two of our most important innovation missions:
providing best-in-class textiles to our Nation’s military personnel, and
our investment in a fully biodegradable product line,” says Gary Smith,
Polartec CEO. “Our partnership with Kraig has the potential to be as
revolutionary as when we created the first performance fabrics made from
post-consumer recycled plastics in 1993.”

Polartec recently announced its Polartec Eco-Engineering™ commitment to
using 100% biodegradable and recycled materials across its entire
product line through another partnership with Unifi and CiCLO. For
example, this new standard for sustainable textiles will include the
creation of the world’s first fully recycled and biodegradable fleece,
other knits, insulation fills and breathable waterproof fabrics.

About Polartec

Polartec is the premium provider of innovative and sustainable textile
solutions. Since inventing modern technical fleece in 1981, the
engineers at Polartec continue to advance the science of fabric,
creating fabric technologies that solve problems and improve the way
products are designed and used. Polartec products range from lightweight
wicking and cooling fabrics, to insulation and weather protection
textiles, and are utilized by leading consumer brands, the U.S. Military
and other global militaries, flame resistance, workwear, and contract
upholstery markets. For more information, please visit Polartec.com
and follow Polartec on Instagram,
Facebook
and Twitter.

About Kraig Biocraft Laboratories

Kraig Labs (OTC: KBLB) is the leading developer of genetically
engineered spider silk based fiber technologies. Kraig’s recombinant
spider silk fibers are lighter, stronger, and more flexible than
traditional materials, offering unmatched material performance with
sustainable and ecological manufacturing practices. For more
information, please visit Kraiglabs.com
and follow Kraig Labs on Facebook
and Twitter.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Statements in this press release about the two Companies’ futures and
expectations other than historical facts are “forward-looking
statements.” These statements are made on the basis of management’s
current views and assumptions. As a result, there can be no assurance
that management’s expectations will necessarily come to pass. These
forward-looking statements generally can be identified by phrases such
as “believes,” “plans,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “foresees,”
“estimated,” “hopes,” “if,” “develops,” “researching,” “research,”
“pilot,” “potential,” “could” or other words or phrases of similar
import. Forward-looking statements include descriptions of the
Companies’ business strategy, outlook, objectives, plans, intentions and
goals. All such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks
and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those in forward-looking statements. This press release does not
constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any
security.

Contacts

Ben Hansel
Hansel Capital, LLC
(720) 288-8495
[email protected]