NFPA 1970 Certificated Products Across Lakeland Fire + Safety’s Growing Head-to-Toe Portfolio Allows Customers to Commence Purchase Orders and Solidifies Market Leadership
New Certified Products and Expanded PPE Options to be Showcased at FDIC 2026 in April
HUNTSVILLE, Ala., March 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lakeland Industries, Inc. ("Lakeland Fire + Safety" or "Lakeland") (NASDAQ: LAKE), a leading global manufacturer of protective clothing and apparel for industry, healthcare and first responders, today announced that products including Lakeland Structural Turnout and Proximity Gear; Veridian Gloves and Fire Particulate Blocking Hoods; and Pacific Helmets, have officially achieved NFPA 1970:2025 certification, further strengthening Lakeland’s full head-to-toe firefighter Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) portfolio. These certifications follow NFPA 1970:2025 certifications for Eagle Firefighting Gloves in January 2026 and Veridian Structural Firefighting Boots in February 2026, and now represent a full head-to-toe range of certified products across Lakeland’s brand portfolio.
The NFPA 1970:2025 standard established new requirements for protective ensembles for structural and proximity firefighting, addressing restricted substances and optional labeling for low-fluorine elements, ensuring wired connections are compatible with Personal Alert Safety Systems (PASS) devices, and new testing for ease of cleaning and ease of helmet disassembly for cleaning. The NFPA 1970:2025 standard also established rigorous new requirements for structural firefighter gloves, addressing heat resistance, dexterity, durability, and overall performance under extreme conditions. For hoods, the new standard adds a mandatory requirement that structural firefighting hoods have particulate-blocking capabilities and greater breathability. Helmet standards include removable soft goods for easier cleaning, a minimum chin strap width, and specific, separate internal labels for identification.
Lakeland expects the NFPA 1970:2025 Certified Structural Turnout Gear and Proximity Gear from its certified Mexico and China manufacturing facilities, made-in-the-USA Veridian Gloves and Fire Particulate Blocking Hoods, and Pacific Helmets to be available to the market in the coming weeks.
“After achieving NFPA 1970:2025 certification for our Ultimate Glow+ Leather Firefighting Gloves-NFPA 321 Series in January, these additional certifications highlight our ability to innovate rapidly while maintaining the highest levels of quality and safety, and now allow our customers the ability to order NFPA 1970:2025 certified gear across our entire brand portfolio,” said Jim Jenkins, President and CEO of Lakeland. “Today, all Veridian Gloves have been certified.
“As we continue to advance the certification pipeline covering our head-to-toe product offering, we are setting a new benchmark for performance and protection and reinforcing our position as a leader in firefighter PPE innovation. We look forward to showcasing new certified products and expanded PPE options at FDIC 2026 taking place April 20-25, 2026, in Indianapolis, including gear designed to meet the latest NFPA 1970 turnout gear standards,” concluded Jenkins.
About Lakeland Fire + Safety
Lakeland Fire + Safety manufactures and sells a comprehensive line of fire services and industrial protective clothing and accessories for the industrial and first responder markets. In addition, we provide decontamination, repair and rental services that complement our fire services portfolio. Our products are sold globally by our in-house sales teams, our customer service group, and authorized independent sales representatives to a strategic global network of selective fire and industrial distributors and wholesale partners. Our authorized distributors supply end users across various industries, including integrated oil, chemical/petrochemical, automobile, transportation, steel, glass, construction, smelting, cleanroom, janitorial, pharmaceutical, and high-tech electronics manufacturers, as well as scientific, medical laboratories, and the utilities industry. In addition, we supply federal, state and local governmental agencies and departments, including fire and law enforcement, airport crash rescue units, the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security and the Centers for Disease Control. Internationally, we sell to a mix of end-users directly and to industrial distributors, depending on the particular country and market. In addition to the United States, sales are made into more than 50 foreign countries, the majority of which were into China, the European Economic Community ("EEC"), Canada, Chile, Argentina, Commonwealth of Independent States (“CIS”) Region, Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador, India, Uruguay, Middle East, Southeast Asia, Australia, Hong Kong and New Zealand.
For more information about Lakeland, please visit the Company's website at www.lakeland.com.
"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
This press release contains estimates, predictions, opinions, goals and other "forward-looking statements" as that phrase is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, without limitation, references to the Company's predictions or expectations of future business or financial performance as well as its goals and objectives for future operations, financial and business trends, business prospects, and management's expectations for earnings, revenues, expenses, inventory levels, capital levels, liquidity levels, or other future financial or business performance, strategies or expectations, including without limitation our M&A strategy and tariff mitigation plans. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, which address Lakeland's expectations of sources or uses for capital, or which express the Company's expectation for the future with respect to financial performance or operating strategies, can be identified as forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions as described from time to time in press releases and Forms 8-K, registration statements, quarterly and annual reports and other reports and filings filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission or made by management. As a result, there can be no assurance that Lakeland's future results will not be materially different from those described herein as "believed," "projected," "planned," "intended," "anticipated," "can," "estimated" or "expected," or other words which reflect the current view of the Company with respect to future events. We caution readers that these forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. The Company hereby expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any such statements to reflect any change in the Company's expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which such statement is based, except as may be required by law.
Investor Relations
Chris Tyson
Executive Vice President
MZ Group - MZ North America
949-491-8235
LAKE@mzgroup.us
www.mzgroup.us
