Study Finds Reusable Surgical Textiles Cut Costs, Environmental Impact

Reusable surgical gowns and drapes offer significant environmental and economic advantages over disposable alternatives, according to a new life-cycle assessment of surgical textiles.

The study, conducted by researchers from Ambiente Italia S.r.l., compared reusable and disposable surgical gowns and drapes using both life-cycle assessment and life-cycle costing. The analysis considered the products’ environmental impacts and costs across their life cycles, including production, transportation, use and end-of-life management.

Researchers found that reusable surgical gowns produced 48% to 51% lower environmental impacts based on the Product Environmental Footprint single-score method. Reusable surgical drapes produced 45% to 55% lower impacts. The reusable products maintained their environmental advantage even under a conservative scenario in which they were sent to a landfill at the end of their useful lives.

The study evaluated reusable textiles over 60 use cycles. For these products, the primary climate-change impact occurred during the use phase, which included transportation, laundering and sterilization.

Reusable surgical textiles also produced lower life-cycle costs across most of the product categories analyzed. Depending on the product, savings ranged from approximately 18% to 20% and as high as 48% to 50%. The largest cost reductions were associated with surgical gowns and major surgical drapes.

The combined findings indicate that healthcare facilities can potentially reduce both environmental impacts and life-cycle expenses by using reusable surgical textiles instead of disposable products. The results also underscore the role linen, uniform and facility services operations can play in supporting healthcare systems through reusable textiles, laundering and sterilization services.

The analysis followed ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 life-cycle assessment standards. It was presented on Sept. 23-25 at the University of Bari Aldo Moro’s Jonian Department in Taranto, Italy. Click here to view the results of the study.