Disposable garments are often worn in healthcare and other settings where greater emphasis is placed on hygiene. While the use of disposable clothing may be convenient because it can be thrown away after use, it is not really an economically and environmentally viable solution.

Disposable clothing is unsustainable

Disposable clothing must be disposed of immediately after use as biohazardous material. Such treatment generates a huge amount of waste. Protective clothing made from non-renewable resources is particularly problematic.

Disposable clothing is usually disposed of by incineration, which releases pollutants into the air, including dioxins, hydrochloric acid and toxic metals.

Reusable protective clothing, on the other hand, is washable and can last up to 300 cycles. This significantly reduces the amount of waste produced.

Disposable clothing is more expensive in the long run

Disposable clothes are immediately waste after one use and need to be replaced with new ones. With disposable clothing you have to deal with several costs including:

• disposal of disposable clothing,
• constant restocking of disposable clothing,
• work related to frequent ordering, opening and restocking of clothing.

While the initial investment is higher when buying quality clothing that is designed for long-term use, it is more profitable in the long run. Good quality reusable clothing lasts for several years, so there is no need to constantly invest in buying new clothes and disposing of waste.

Why choose reusable clothing?

In general, the more cycles a garment can withstand, the better. It is also important to choose recyclable materials, such as the polypropylene fibre used in Prolen® Medical clothing. As well as being recyclable and lasting up to 300 washes, this fibre is highly resistant to the transmission of infections.