An urban bear that’s big on hygiene

Bears aren’t usually renowned for the highest standards of personal cleanliness, but this bear is special.

Biomaster brand partner Urban Hygiene has incorporated our antimicrobial technology into the easy-on coating that protects the bear over the course of its lifetime.

We wanted Bear Necessities, the Biomaster sponsored bear featured on Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity’s Big Sleuth Trail this summer until 17 September, to have a special antimicrobial coating to help us promote the benefits that Biomaster can bring to targeted hygiene strategies in shared environments such as hospitals and schools.  

Biomaster can be easily incorporated into any polymer, coating, textile or paper based product. 

This time however the solution wasn’t quite so easy to find.  Wild In Art, organisers of the popular public artwork trails that promote health and wellbeing in the community, insisted that any coating must meet their specification – combining anti-graffiti properties with fire resistance and a durable finish in one easy- to-apply product.

All Wild In Art sculptures are protected by Urban Hygiene’s coatings, proven to last 22.3 years in a North Sea Oil Rig application, according to Urban Hygiene’s MD Mark Johnson. 

Mark stepped in to trial Biomaster in his easy-on product.  The result – easy-on+ with added antimicrobial protection.

While the Biomaster protected easy-on product worked a treat on our Bear Necessities sculpture, Mark has now made easy-on+ with Biomaster a standard part of the Urban Hygiene product range. It is ideal for treating surfaces in a wide range of environments, outdoor and indoor, including healthcare establishments.

“We were really pleased Wild In Art suggested Addmaster contact us as we happened to be looking for an antimicrobial additive that complied with EU and US regulations for our easy-on + product range”, commented Mark.  

“When Biomaster contacted me, the fit seemed obvious and after swift trials and lab tests the new product was up and running in no time.”

The Big Sleuth meanwhile is expected to attract nearly 1,000,000 visitors including many families during the summer holidays and will use the associated app to track their progress and ‘collect’ all the bears on the trail.

Simon Baugh director of marketing for Addmaster (UK) Ltd. explains: “With the success of the Big Hoot in 2015, we felt this year’s Big Sleuth would be a great opportunity to showcase how Biomaster can be used to improve hygiene in important areas such as hospitals by inhibiting the growth of bacteria and reducing the risk of cross contamination whilst at the same time supporting a great cause.

We weren’t prepared for the excitement the event has generated so far –  it’s a great way to spend time with the family over the summer holidays.

“The Biomaster bear has provided us with a great platform to engage with the public and educate people about best hygiene practices”, says Paul Morris, founder and CEO of Addmaster.

 Our dedicated website biomasterprotected.com has a whole resource centre to support our Biomaster Bear, including links to best practice guides from leading hygiene associations and the e-bug children’s learning scheme.  

Visitors using the app can also claim a reward when they collect our bear and we will send them a Biomaster Protected gift from our customers to use around the home or at work.” 

Birmingham Children’s Hospital is renowned for a whole range of firsts, from pioneering surgical techniques to the development of the world’s first rare diseases hospital and now…. The world’s first antimicrobial public artwork. 

The Biomaster bear is on display in Cathedral Square until 17 September. You can get involved by downloading the Big Sleuth app to unlock Biomaster rewards. Follow the @biomasterbear on twitter and instagram for the latest updates. 

 Click here to see a short video about our bear.

Click here to visit the Urban Hygiene website.

*Please note that Addmaster was acquired by the Polygiene Group AB in January 2021, so all news articles prior to that date will still be branded as Addmaster.