An Environmental Analysis of Reusable and Disposable Surgical Gowns.

Surgical gowns help protect patients from exposure to microorganisms and serve as personal protective equipment for perioperative staff members. Medical textiles, including surgical gowns, are available as reusable and disposable products. Health care facility administrators and leaders who endeavor to use environmentally sustainable practices require current data for decision making. This study analyzed all activities from the extraction of fossil materials from the earth to the end-of-life disposal of reusable and disposable surgical gowns. The researchers included calculations for laundry and wastewater treatment operations and compared the environmental effects of the two surgical gown systems. The study results showed that selection of reusable gowns rather than disposable gowns reduced natural resource energy consumption (64%), greenhouse gas emissions (66%), blue water consumption (83%), and solid waste generation (84%). Perioperative nurses can use this information to assist facility leaders as they make informed decisions related to gown system selection.

Environmental considerations in the selection of isolation gowns: A life cycle assessment of reusable and disposable alternatives.

BACKGROUND: Isolation gowns serve a critical role in infection control by protecting healthcare workers, visitors, and patients from the transfer of microorganisms and body fluids. The decision of whether to use a reusable or disposable garment system is a selection process based on factors including sustainability, barrier effectiveness, cost, and comfort. Environmental sustainability is increasingly being used in the decision-making process. Life cycle assessment is the most comprehensive and widely used tool used to evaluate environmental performance. METHODS: The environmental impacts of market-representative reusable and disposable isolation gown systems were compared using standard life cycle assessment procedures. The basis of comparison was 1,000 isolation gown uses in a healthcare setting. The scope included the manufacture, use, and end-of-life stages of the gown systems. RESULTS: At the healthcare facility, compared to the disposable gown system, the reusable gown system showed a 28% reduction in energy consumption, a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, a 41% reduction in blue water consumption, and a 93% reduction in solid waste generation. CONCLUSIONS: Selecting reusable garment systems may result in significant environmental benefits compared to selecting disposable garment systems. By selecting reusable isolation gowns, healthcare facilities can add these quantitative benefits directly to their sustainability scorecards.

Life Cycle Assessment of Reusable and Disposable Cleanroom Coveralls.

Cleanroom garments serve a critical role in such industries as pharmaceuticals, life sciences, and semiconductor manufacturing. These textiles are available in reusable and disposable alternatives. In this report, the environmental sustainability of cleanroom coveralls is examined using life cycle assessment technology. The complete supply chain, manufacture, use, and end-of-life phases for reusable and disposable cleanroom coveralls are compared on a cradle-to-end-of-life cycle basis. Three industry representative coveralls are examined: a reusable woven polyethylene terephthalate (PET) coverall, a disposable flash spunbonded high-density polyethylene (HDPE) coverall, and a disposable spunbond-meltblown-spunbond polypropylene (SMS PP) coverall. The reusable cleanroom coverall system shows substantial improvements over both disposable cleanroom coverall systems in all environmental impact categories. The improvements over the disposable HDPE coverall were 34% lower process energy (PE), 23% lower natural resource energy (NRE), 27% lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and 73% lower blue water consumption. The improvements over the disposable SMS PP coverall were 59% lower PE, 56% lower NRE, 57% lower GHG emissions, and 77% lower blue water consumption. In addition, the reusable system shows a 94-96% reduction in solid waste to the landfill from the cleanroom facility. Between the two disposable cleanroom coveralls, the flash spunbonded HDPE coverall shows a measurable environmental improvement over the SMS PP coverall.LAY ABSTRACT: Pharmaceutical drugs are manufactured and handled in controlled environments called cleanrooms to ensure the safety and quality of products. In order to maintain strict levels of cleanliness, cleanroom personnel are required to wear garments such as coveralls, hoods, and gloves that restrict the transfer of particles from the person to the environment. These garments are available in reusable and disposable types. Cleanroom operators consider a number of factors when selecting between reusable and disposable garments, including price, comfort, and environmental sustainability.In this report, the environmental sustainability of reusable and disposable cleanroom coveralls is examined using a technique called life cycle assessment. With this technique, environmental parameters such as energy use and greenhouse gas emissions are quantified and compared for three market representative cleanroom coveralls, from raw material extraction through manufacturing, use, and final disposal. Reusable coveralls were found to substantially outperform disposable coveralls in all environmental parameters examined. This is an important conclusion that supports cleanroom companies that select reusable coveralls to be more sustainable.