HEALTH, SAFETY & WELLBEING ESG MEETS PPE
From materials and manufacturing to disposal and design, Ansell's Maria Campos and Sustainability Consultant, Nalise Hahn, break down what it takes to make PPE safer for both people and the planet.
As sustainability efforts continue to gain momentum among businesses around the world, small yet scalable swaps are an important step. The global COVID-19 pandemic put medical PPE in the spotlight – along with its impact on the environment. Medical plastic waste was estimated to grow at an annual rate of 20% between 2020 and 2025, producing approximately 20.9m tonnes of plastic medical waste in 2025 (Fengang Zeng et al – Journal of Cleaner Production, 2024).
According to a Nanjing University study published in 2021, 25,900 tonnes of plastic waste from single-use PPE used during the pandemic was leaked into the ocean, highlighting a real challenge with the disposal of critical PPE. Even before the pandemic, an estimated 12bn tonnes of plastic was set to accumulate in landfill and the wider environment by the year 2050.
This underscores a serious need for more sustainable solutions. With help from our experts, we’ll explore that demand, the options currently available and their emissions in the product lifecycle.
Meet the experts
Maria Campos is the Head of Sustainable Product and Innovation at Ansell. She specialises in new technologies and the environmental impact of products, driving sustainable advancements in Ansell’s portfolio.
Nalise Hahn is a Sustainability Consultant with nearly nine years of experience in ESG issues. Her key expertise lies in climate and sustainability strategy, where she collaborates with businesses to accelerate their efforts in creating positive change.
Q
: Is there much demand for sustainable PPE?
Nalise: Absolutely. PwC’s Global CEO Survey found that embedding sustainability and climate innovation is a top priority among the 4,700+ leaders surveyed. The business case, combined with the urgency presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, has created an undeniable and increasing demand for sustainable solutions.
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: How can we track emissions and waste across the PPE product lifecycle?
Maria: Industries that rely upon PPE frequently ask the question: what is the most sustainable PPE available? But it’s important to look at the impact of PPE products holistically. Different products will impact the environment in different ways, with some producing more emissions during manufacturing, and others having a higher impact in terms of raw materials. Lifecycle assessments (LCAs) help us measure and compare these (See diagram page 33).
: Do sustainable (and safe) PPE options exist?
Nalise: No product can claim to be 100% sustainable, but the landscape is changing. From gloves made using recycled materials to organic cotton face masks and reusable PPE like returnable boots, there are plenty of ways businesses can start reducing their impact.
Sustainable PPE solutions are increasingly becoming available at a corporate level, but they’re even available for quite small businesses.
: How do you go about designing more sustainable solutions?
Maria: When we think about protective equipment, there are a number of ways we can design more sustainable solutions. Using recycled content, reducing raw material usage or developing lightweight products, while ensuring the same level of functionality – these are all viable options.
: What are the challenges involved in designing sustainable PPE?
Nalise: When we're thinking about the whole product lifecycle, this production process, whether it's boots or helmet or gloves, can be really resource intensive, because it often uses a lot of water, a lot of energy and a lot of chemicals.
So, it’s important to think about each of those stages – from the point of actually extracting the raw material to manufacturing, transporting it to where it needs to go, and then disposal. So, there are a lot of different steps, each carrying its own set of impacts that we need to think about.
Q
: What should procurement managers consider when
choosing PPE suppliers? Nalise: You can ask some really easy questions to the supplier, or you can do the research yourself. First, look at the materials and see whether they are recycled. That's the easiest one. If they're not recycled, then see whether
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