Sustainability emissions and the wider supply chain.1 This
has brought greater scrutiny to procurement decisions, particularly in high-volume product categories with significant lifecycle impacts. Operating theatres are widely recognised as being among the most carbon-intensive areas of hospital care.2
They generate substantial
volumes of waste, consume large quantities of energy, and rely on complex supply chains to maintain uninterrupted service delivery. A significant proportion of this environmental
burden relates to single-use products. Surgical textiles form only part of this picture, but they are a highly visible and strategically relevant one. Disposable textiles contribute significantly to waste volumes and Scope 3 emissions associated with manufacturing, packaging, transportation and disposal, with each stage of the process carrying its own environmental implications. Lifecycle assessment studies have
consistently indicated that reusable textile systems can offer environmental advantages compared with equivalent disposable models, particularly when operated efficiently over multiple validated use cycles.3 An independent lifecycle analysis conducted
by researchers at the University of Sheffield, examining reusable and disposable surgical gown systems, found substantial reductions for multi-use systems across key environmental indicators, including carbon emissions per use, solid waste generation, water consumption and energy use under defined operating assumptions.4
Importantly, however, the study
also highlighted that outcomes are influenced by operational factors such as transportation distances, return rates, reprocessing efficiency and the number of reuse cycles achieved. Environmental performance can be
strengthened when textiles are processed within dedicated facilities designed for energy efficiency and monitoring, with features including heat recovery systems, controlled water management, and validated decontamination cycles. In terms of the waste hierarchy, prevention should be prioritised above disposal5
For organisations seeking to align
procurement decisions with wider sustainability goals, surgical textiles represent a measurable lever for environmental improvement. Sustainability should clearly play a key part in influencing procurement decisions, but the key challenge is how these decisions are evaluated in a way that balances environmental performance with patient safety, operational efficiency and value for money.
Clinical performance and infection prevention While environmental and financial considerations are important, patient safety and infection prevention remain paramount. Historically, some healthcare professionals have perceived disposable surgical textiles as offering superior protection against contamination or infection risk. Much of this perception stems from older comparisons involving legacy reusable materials that bear little resemblance to modern textiles.8 Today’s reusable
– so, from
this perspective, reducing the volume of products entering the waste stream is an important consideration. Clinical waste management also has significant financial consequences. NHS providers in England generate significant volumes of healthcare waste annually, and the NHS Clinical Waste Strategy has emphasised the importance of waste minimisation, segregation and improved resource efficiency.6
This is especially relevant
in operating theatres, where waste volumes are disproportionately high relative to other hospital areas.7
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surgical textiles are engineered to meet BS EN 13795, the standard governing surgical gowns and drapes used as medical devices.9
characteristics are maintained under the conditions in which surgical textiles are used, helping to support the sterile field and reduce the risk of contamination during invasive procedures. For theatre teams, this means considering not only whether a product meets a standard at the point of manufacture, but how that performance is maintained throughout its intended lifecycle. This is particularly relevant in the context of reusable systems, where ongoing inspection, testing and validation form part of a wider quality assurance framework. Crucially, these performance characteristics are validated across multiple reprocessing cycles, with dedicated processing facilities supporting compliance in a number of ways. These include segregated clean and dirty workflows, HTM 01-01 aligned decontamination
procedures, batch traceability (RFID), and documented inspection and quality assurance protocols to ensure ongoing compliance. From an infection prevention perspective, the consideration should therefore not be framed simply as ‘reusable versus disposable’. A more meaningful question is
how robustly the system is designed, validated and
This standard defines
performance requirements relating to microbial penetration (wet and dry), hydrostatic pressure resistance, tensile strength, and linting and particle control. Compliance with BS EN 13795
extends beyond simple product testing, and is designed to ensure that critical performance
governed. This distinction is increasingly
relevant as healthcare organisations place greater emphasis on assurance, auditability and evidence- based risk management. Infection prevention is rarely determined by a single product characteristic in isolation. It is shaped by the interaction
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