E.T.S.A. LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT OF SURGICAL GOWNS Industrial laundering of surgical clothing proves its environmental value Research recently carried out on behalf of E.T.S.A. (European Textile Services Association) by a highly respected, independent Life Cycle Assessment practitioner, dk-Teknik Energy & Environment in Denmark, has shown that industrial laundering is better for the environment than using disposable surgical clothing. In 2003 an LCA was prepared in Sweden for the purchasing organisation Westma by CIT Ekologik AB, independently of E.T.S.A. The LCA was carried out for reusable and single-use sterilized packed surgical gowns for wet surgical operations fulfilling standard SS 876 00 05. The new study illustrates – similar to the E.T.S.A. study – that in a life cycle perspective a textile rental solution has the least environmental impacts for most of the impacts categories as global warming, acidification and euthophication (nutrient enrichment). See summary in English on http://www.ekologik.cit.chalmers.se/news.htm and the full study in Swedish on http://www.ekologik.cit.chalmers.se/rapport_operationsrockar.pdf. Research followed ISO 14040 standards for Life Cycle Assessment The research examined the environmental impacts during the life cycle of surgical gowns in several environmental impact categories, including energy consumption, global warming, acidification (of water and soil), eutrofication (nutrient discharges to water) and post-consumer waste. Five different types of standard surgical gown tested Reusable gowns A 50%/50% cotton/polyester mix with a fluorocarbon finish A 100% polyester (microfibre) with a fluorocarbon finish A laminate of polyester incorporating a polyurethane or Gore-Tex® membrane. The research analysed the impact from the production of polyurethane, while washing and drying was related to Gore-Tex® (due to data availability). Disposable gowns "Regular" made from pulp/polyester with fluorocarbon finish Laminate of pulp/polyester and polyethylene Best and worst case scenarios compared for each gown The best case scenarios show that, with one exception, reusable gowns have lower environmental impacts than disposable gowns in the categories measured. The exception is the 50%/50% cotton/polyester mix which uses more water over its life cycle than any of the others. In the worst case scenarios, reusable gowns still perform better than disposables, but the differences are reduced. Once again, the exception is cotton/polyester which also does poorly on global warming potential. The clear environmental winner in this research is Gown Number 2, the 100% polyester (microfibre) despite its fluorocarbon finish. Reusable gowns also clearly show lower impacts than disposables in most impact categories, even when comparing the worst case for reusables with the best case for disposables. Reusable surgical textiles show clear advantage While the research did not examine the impacts on human health or the impacts of chemicals on local ecosystems, there are steps that laundries can take in reducing these. Overall, the advantages of the use of reusable surgical textiles is clear, and E.T.S.A members can offer considerable environmental benefits throughout Europe. Copyright © 2002, E.T.S.A. European Textile Services Association. All rights reserved.