With protective clothing item sales approaching the $13-billion mark worldwide, the linen, uniform and facility services industry drives that figure higher. The industry’s German association, DTV, notes that the market for such items is usually quantified only by their value to their manufacturers and distributors. This measurement doesn’t account for the economic impacts of leasing/service models of protective clothing, including laundering. DTV’s work with European advocates for small and midsize enterprises is a powerful microcosm of the industry’s global effort to prompt more employers to move from purchasing to renting such personal protective equipment (PPE).

In a presentation to Small ...