Environmental considerations for reusable vs disposable isolation gowns

Editor's Note

Selecting reusable isolation gowns may result in significant environmental benefits compared with disposable gowns, this study finds.

This analysis of 1,000 isolation gowns in a healthcare setting (24 reusable gowns from 8 suppliers, 16 disposable gowns from 5 suppliers) found that the reusable gowns resulted in a:

• 28% reduction in energy consumption
• 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
• 41% reduction in blue water consumption
• 93% reduction in solid waste generation.

By selecting reusable gowns, healthcare organizations can add quantitative benefits directly to their sustainability scorecards, the researchers say.