Making PPE more sustainable

Leslah Garland 14 December 2022  

DuPont has announced it has released a new e-guide on how to produce and use personal protective equipment (PPE) more sustainably.

The guide examines some concrete steps that HSE managers and PPE suppliers can take to improve sustainability, without sacrificing the level of protection PPE provides. The guide can be accessed here.

The COVID-19 Pandemic heightened awareness of the environmental footprint of single-use PPE, including protective clothing. The WHO estimates that the PPE procured between March 2020 and November 2021 generated up to 87,000 tonnes of waste globally. Many organisations around the world are now calling for more sustainable solutions.

DuPont’s e-guide looks at how HSE managers can select protective clothing that maximises safety while reducing its environmental footprint. The e-guide also discusses methods to improve sustainability throughout the supply chain, including minimising waste during production, using alternative energy sources, reducing PPE packaging, and shortening transport routes.

Andrzej Palka, Tyvek Sustainability Leader at DuPont Personal Protection comments: “For many workers, personal protective equipment is the last line of defense against multiple hazards. Organisations like DuPont are constantly striving to develop PPE solutions that reach the highest safety standards while reducing their environmental impact”.

Throughout the guide, DuPont draws upon real-life examples of how organisations are taking steps to reduce their environmental impact. For example, the leading Brazilian research centre, Instituto Butantan, which supported the development of Coronavac vaccines, succeeded in diverting around 8 tonnes of uncontaminated Tyvek garments from landfill.

To download the new E-Guide visit: https://www.dupont.co.uk/knowledge/the-hse-managers-guide-to-sustainability-considerations-for-ppe.html.