short lifespan – at least in a non-pandemic environment where they are not being reprocessed , which is problematic – reusables are manufactured to endure repeated laundering processes and still perform their function .
AHA emphasizes that “ Because reusable textiles have a significantly smaller CO2 footprint than disposable items , they are a more environmentally friendly and sustainable option . When reusable medical textiles are no longer suitable for use , they are ragged and recycled , donated to charitable organizations or , in some cases , sold to healthcare organizations in underdeveloped countries .”
As we will see , environmental benefits include :
• Overall energy consumption is reduced
• Waste can be reduced in the hospital by up to 30 percent
• Water is reused in cleaning processes ( approximately 10 percent lost to evaporation )
• Toxicity reduction is much greater with reusable textiles than with disposable items
• Climate Impacts are less when reusable textiles are used , versus single-use disposables
TRSA says that throughout a product ’ s life cycle , it uses natural resources and creates discharges to the environment . According to TRSA ’ s life cycle assessment , compared with disposable equivalents , reusable gowns exhibit :
• 76 percent less impact on acid rain
• 81 percent less carbon monoxide
• 73 percent less carbon dioxide
• 72 percent less contribution to smog and global warming
• 83 percent less impact on inland and marine water
• 91 percent less crude oil
The American Reusable Textile Association ( ARTA ) developed life cycle assessments ( LCAs ) along with consulting firm Environmental Clarity , which examined disposable and reusable textile items from their inception as raw materials to the manufacturing of the product , to use / reuse , and then to final end-of-life disposition . The end-of-life phases included landfill for both reusable and disposable gowns .
ARTA found that choosing reusable isolation gowns instead of disposable alternatives decreases the environmental footprint by :
• 28 percent lower natural resource energy consumption
• 30 percent lower greenhouse gas emissions ( CO2 equivalent )
• 41 percent lower total water consumed ( blue water )
• 93-99 percent lower solid waste generation at healthcare facility .
In the study , an isolation gown was defined as a single-piece , size extra-large ( XL ) or one-size-fits-most , long-sleeve , tie-up garment . The functional unit , or basis of comparison , was 1,000 isolation gown uses in a healthcare setting . For the reusable gowns , this was 16.7 new gowns each used for 60 cycles , while for the disposable gowns this was 1,000 new gowns . Two market-representative ANSI / AAMI Level 1 isolation gowns were investigated : a reusable polyester gown and a disposable nonwoven gown .
For surgical gowns , ARTA found that choosing reusable gowns instead of disposable alternatives decreases the environmental footprint by :
The reusable isolation gown system consumed 28 percent less energy and emitted 30 percent less greenhouse gasses compared to the disposable isolation gown system .”
• 64 percent lower natural resource energy consumption
• 66 percent lower greenhouse gas emissions ( CO2 equivalent )
• 87 percent lower total water consumed ( blue water )
• 83 percent lower solid waste generation at healthcare facility
In the study , surgical gowns were first defined as single-piece , size extra-large ( XL ) or one-size-fits-most , long-sleeve tie-up garments with ANSI / AAMI Level 3 barrier protection rating . The functional unit , or basis of comparison , was 1,000 surgical gown uses in an operating room setting . For the reusable gowns , this was 16.7 new gowns each used for 60 cycles while for the disposable gowns this was 1,000 new gowns . The reusable surgical gown market was compared to the disposable surgical gown market based on a set of representative gowns .
These findings were documented in the study by Vozzola , et al . ( 2018 ) who point out that the American National Standards Institute ( ANSI ) and the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation ( AAMI ) have established standards to quantify the liquid-barrier performance of isolation gowns and other medical textiles and that “ A reusable gown and a disposable gown with the same barrier rating are expected to exhibit similar barrier effectiveness . A recent case study showed that reusable isolation gown systems resulted in a 30 percent reduction in costs compared to disposable gown systems . Similar case studies have shown that reusable operating room linens , surgical packs , and towels provide significant cost savings compared to disposable alternatives . The evaluation of the comfort of isolation gowns is complex and involves human perception . Although individual features of isolation gowns have been found to affect hospital staff and visitor compliance , whether a gown is reusable or disposable , has been found to have little to no impact on compliance .”
Vozzola , et al . ( 2018 ) compared four environmental impacts ( energy , global warming potential , water use , and solid waste consumption ) of reusable and disposable isolation gowns ) to show what parts of the life cycle are important and to provide a sensitivity analysis for key parameters .
They report that “ The reusable isolation gown system consumed 28 percent less energy and emitted 30 percent less greenhouse gasses compared to the disposable isolation gown system . Water consumption for the reusable gown system was found to be about half that of the disposable gown system . This result is contrary to common perceptions , which designate reusable garments as more water intensive due to the laundry step . The public perception often fails to consider the water consumed in the disposable gown supply chain and does not consider the principle of water footprint that designates blue water as the best consumption principle . The solid waste generation at the healthcare facility for the reusable isolation gown system was