Sustainability in Healthcare: Reusable Surgical Textiles Significantly Better for the Environment than Single-Use

Less waste, significantly lower energy consumption, and a much better carbon footprint. Sustainability is becoming increasingly important in healthcare. According to the "Health Care’s Climate Footprint" report 2019, the healthcare sector is responsible for 4.4 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than the entire aviation industry.

A new study shows that using reusable surgical textiles is significantly more environmentally friendly than single-use products in many categories. Reusable textiles particularly excel in their carbon footprint, generating around 62 percent fewer CO₂ equivalents. Additionally, they produce significantly less waste, potentially reducing over 3,300 tons of waste annually in Austria if fully adopted. The energy consumption and overall environmental impact are also much lower, further enhancing the ecological benefits of reusable textiles.

Ing. Roland Fehringer from c7-consult e.U. analyzed the environmental impacts of reusable and disposable surgical textiles over their entire life cycle as part of a study. The results demonstrate the significant advantages of reusable products over disposable products in most of the categories examined.

For more details, please refer to the complete APA-OTS press release.