Commercial Textiles Superior Sustainability Verified

Independent analysis finds lower environmental impact vs. disposables

PRESS RELEASE

Contact Ken Koepper, 703,519.0029, ext. 109

Commercial Textiles’ Superior Sustainability Verified

An independent study commissioned by TRSA indicates that reusable textile products (cloth) have less environmental impact when substituted for disposable counterparts (paper/synthetic) in three common commercial scenarios.

The scenarios include:

• Using a napkin in a mid-priced or upscale restaurant
• Wearing a shoulder-to-shin gown to protect clothing in a hospital
• Wiping oil, grease, solvent, chemicals and other soils in an industrial setting
   

The research quantifies the natural resources needed and waste generated in the manufacturing, distribution, use and disposal of various reusable and disposable versions of these products. “The findings suggest that across the wide variety of available products’ materials and weights, reusables have the lowest environmental impact throughout their normal life cycle,” explained TRSA President and CEO Joseph Ricci.

Results of this product life cycle assessment reinforce TRSA members’ longstanding competitive advantage over disposables manufacturers due to the favorable economics of textile reuse and commercial laundering. Now reusables’ lower environmental impact can be added to the case that they are the more sustainable option for businesses.

For isolation gowns and wipers, the assessment found that regardless of product weight, resource consumption or waste, a disposable always contributes more to global warming than its reusable equivalent. Even the most resource-conservative and least wasteful disposables have a greater impact than the worst reusables.

In the case of napkins, a single use of a heavier, intensely washed reusable (usually found in mid-priced or upscale restaurants) has significantly less impact than a single heavier disposable. A single, smaller disposable with recycled content (fast food) has slightly less impact than a single use of a lighter reusable. But when fast-food patrons use multiple disposables in a meal, that thin margin disappears.

According to the study, disposables’ impacts are driven primarily by raw materials, followed by manufacturing energy. Reusables’ impacts are dominated by laundering and, to a limited extent, by raw materials production.

“This is solid evidence that across the board, the combined water, energy and chemical impact of commercial laundering and reusable textile service intrudes less on our planet than the same impact from manufacturing, transport and use of disposables,” Ricci said. “While no study using broad parameters can take into account every possible substitution, it’s clear that in scenarios where the two compete most closely, reusables prevail.”

The independent study was conducted by Exponent, an engineering and scientific consulting company that offers multidisciplinary teams of scientists, physicians, engineers and regulatory consultants to perform in-depth scientific research and analysis across a range of industries.