Frankfurt, February 2011. More than 50 years ago, DuPont invented an extremely slippery substance that helps cookware, bakeware and small electrical appliances have excellent nonstick and release properties. Ever since, the company has been hard at work creating new uses and developing new markets for innovative DuPont™ Teflon^® branded products.

In 1961, Teflon^® branded nonstick cookware was first introduced to retail stores in the United States following its approval for use in consumer cooking and food processing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Since then, DuPont has continuously put dynamic science to work to provide cookware manufacturers, marketers and retailers with innovations in Teflon^® nonstick coating systems that meet customer needs and desires in terms of performance and quality. Simultaneously, over the last half century, DuPont has invested considerable resources to ensure that quality and innovation would be maintained and protected through its network of licensees. Doing so ensures that consumers receive the quality and guaranteed performance they associate with the Teflon^® brand.

 

A heritage of leadership

The story of the DuPont™ Teflon^® brand began on April 6, 1938, at the DuPont Jackson Laboratory in New Jersey (U.S.) A DuPont chemist, Dr. Roy J. Plunkett, was working with gases related to the company’s refrigerant products, when he discovered that a frozen, compressed sample of tetrafluoroethylene had polymerized spontaneously into a white, waxy solid to form polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). So was born the world’s first fluoropolymer, which possessed not only outstanding chemical and heat resistance, but also the world’s most slippery surface qualities. PTFE was registered under the Teflon^® brand trademark in 1944 by DuPont.

 

Since that time, DuPont has led the industry in the development of an expanded range of fluoropolymers that have enabled the production of hundreds of vital industrial and consumer products that make life safer, more convenient, more affordable and more environmentally sustainable. It is, however, for its use on cookware that the Teflon^® brand has become one of the world’s most recognised consumer brands, synonymous with durability and nonstick performance that equates with convenient and healthy cooking.

 

A continuous process of improvement

Over the last five decades DuPont science has continuously improved its Teflon^® nonstick coating systems in terms of their performance, safety and sustainability. Successive increases in the durability of the coatings were introduced during the 1960s and 1970s, achieved, for example, by using fluorocarbon polymers for even greater nonstick performance and scratch resistance. The result, introduced in 1976, was a three-coat fluoropolymer system that produces a more durable finish. In the 1990s DuPont added new product lines with an additional protective barrier, designed for heavy use in professional kitchens.

 

In 2001 DuPont realigned its Teflon^® nonstick coating systems for cookware with names that remain recognisable today:

·     Teflon^® Classic provides easy cooking and cleaning convenience for occasional use

·     Teflon^® Xtra offers longer life convenience on a regular basis

·     Teflon^® Select is for cooks that require everyday durable performance

·     Teflon^® Platinum delivers the maximum in performance and durability demanded by avid cooks.

 

Further milestones include the 2006 introduction of Teflon^® nonstick coating systems with Radiance technology – a specially designed, three-layer thermal system that conducts heat evenly throughout the entire pan, and a new grade of Teflon^® nonstick coating systems specifically developed to resist corrosion on stainless steel substrates.

 

Most recently, at the start of 2009, DuPont further demonstrated its commitment to product innovation and the environment with the launch of a new generation of Teflon^® nonstick coating systems. The first to be introduced was Teflon^® Platinum Plus, which uses proprietary and patented scratch resistance technology to provide a fifty percent improvement in scratch resistance compared to the Platinum line, making it the most durable, high performance nonstick system available from DuPont. At the same time, all other Teflon^® branded coating systems were also upgraded to offer improved durability, with significant improvements in their abrasion resistance.

 

An emphasis on improving the useful nonstick cooking life of coated cookware also helps decrease the environmental burden of the products, according to a holistic Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) that was conducted by DuPont according to internationally recognized standards. An LCA assesses the environmental footprint of a product throughout its life cycle from production through to its disposal.

 

“When taking a holistic look, pans with poor nonstick durability will tend to have larger, less sustainable, environmental footprints because they will need to be replaced more often,” explains Phil Bardsley, sales and marketing manager, DuPont Fluoroproducts – consumer and industrial finishes for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).“To decrease the footprint during the use phase, we need to prolong the nonstick cooking life of the pan.”

 

The new generation of Teflon^® nonstick coating systems for cookware are made with DuPont patented GenX technology, which enables DuPont to make high performance fluoropolymers without the use of PFOA. These new coatings offer the same outstanding nonstick release associated with the Teflon^® brand and matches completely the specific requirements of many retailers.

 

A commitment to quality and brand protection

Fifty years of consumer use, along with published peer-reviewed research, have shown that cookware made with Teflon^® nonstick coating systems is safe for both consumer and commercial use at normal cooking temperatures. Before the commercial introduction of any Teflon^® nonstick coating systems for cookware, extensive laboratory testing is conducted to ensure its safety. Regulatory agencies in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere in the world have reviewed these findings.

 

DuPont has also been at the forefront of ensuring the quality and performance of its patented Teflon^® nonstick coating systems when applied by licensed coaters. As early as 1963, just two years after their commercial introduction, DuPont launched the first certification program to ensure the quality application of its nonstick coatings. Today, rigorous quality assurance standards ensure that all cookware products carrying the Teflon^® brand pass stringent quality control guidelines in the form of initial and routine audits of coating lines belonging to licensed manufacturers, as well as random tests of retail products being sold under the Teflon^® brand for compliance with the trademark license agreement.  

 

Similarly, the company is very active in protecting its intellectual property, patents and authenticity of Teflon^® nonstick coating systems throughout the value chain. “We recognise the responsibility upon us to protect and ensure that retailers and consumers purchase genuine Teflon^® nonstick coating systems, which have been applied in the required specified way, and correctly sold under the highly valued Teflon^® trademark,” concludes Phil Bardsley. “To protect the brand, DuPont operates a global Teflon^® trademark protection and licensee policy, which is applied globally and strictly controlled.”

 

The origin of the DuPont™ Teflon^®brand was the discovery of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) in 1938 by DuPont chemist Dr. Roy Plunkett. The first Teflon^® nonstick coating system was commercialized for cookware 50 years ago in the U.S. Cookware made with Teflon^® nonstick coating systems makes cooking and clean up easier. DuPont has created a wide range of nonstick coating systems for cookware to meet the needs of a variety of end users – from those who are avid cooks to those who are professional chefs. For more information, visit www.teflon.com.

 

DuPontis a science-based products and services company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture and food; building and construction; communications; and transportation. 

 

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