Changi Foundation donates self-disinfecting coating to town councils

SINGAPORE, 2 April 2020 – Changi Airport Group’s (CAG) philanthropic arm, Changi Foundation, has donated 650 litres of a self-disinfecting coating to all 16 town councils in Singapore. This coating, named sdst, has been applied on frequently-touched surfaces in Changi Airport. It has now been used on about 1.5 million lift buttons in Singapore’s 26,000 HDB lifts. Eco-friendly and safe, the coating safeguards against viruses, bacteria and fungi. It stays effective for three months without the need for reapplication during this period.

Over the past two weeks, Singapore’s town councils have deployed teams of two to three to coat every single lift button inside lifts and at lift lobbies with the coating. CAG arranged for cleaning supervisors from each town council to be trained in the correct application of the coating.

The sdst coating is effective in two ways. Firstly, it has a needle-like structure that ruptures the outer membrane of viruses, bacteria and fungi, thereby reducing their ability to infect. Secondly, proprietary bonding agents in the coating allow it to adhere tightly to surfaces at a molecular level, such that even with repeated scrubbing and cleaning, the coating does not leach and remains effective for as long as three-months. It is safe on human skin.

In February this year, CAG had coated frequently-touched surfaces (e.g. lift buttons, door handles, touch screens, trolley handles etc.) in Changi Airport with sdst as part of a broad effort to enhance precautionary measures against the spread of Covid-19. With increased frequency of cleaning and disinfecting, the coating acts as an added layer of protection.

Jayson Goh, Managing Director of Airport Operations Management, CAG said, “We trialled the sdst coating in some areas of Changi Airport last year as one of our innovation projects. We found it to be effective in providing longer-lasting protection on frequently touched surfaces. Hence, when Covid-19 hit, we decided to apply sdst airport-wide to better protect passengers, visitors and staff at Changi Airport.

“Through this initiative together with the town councils, we want to share the benefits of the sdst coating with the wider Singapore community. This additional layer of protection will complement existing stepped-up cleaning efforts by the town councils and help raise the hygiene level at common areas like the lifts of public housing.”

Dr Teo Ho Pin, Co-ordinating Chairman of PAP Town Councils said, “We have stepped up efforts to clean and disinfect our blocks so as to reduce bacteria and virus transmission in view of Covid-19 situation. The use of this new protective self-disinfecting coating on our lift buttons will further reduce bacteria and virus transmission. As hard objects may scrape the coating off, we seek users’ cooperation not to press the buttons with pointed objects such as keys.”

sdst is a broad-spectrum coating comprising a modified quaternary ammonium compound. Approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, its self-disinfecting function mimics antimicrobial compounds which kill germs upon contact. The product is distributed by SUTL EnvironTech.

For more information on sdst, please visit www.sdst.com.sg.