Why more hospitals are switching to washable medical gowns is no longer just a question, it’s becoming a reality. Dutch hospitals collectively produce 200 tons of medical waste every year. To bring that number down, more and more initiatives are emerging to replace traditional protective gear with sustainable alternatives. One such example is the reusable isolation gown, which has just been introduced by the endoscopy department of the Northwest Hospital Group. Because let’s be honest: disposable gowns are a thing of the past, washable ones are the future. And in this article, I’ll tell you all about them.
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Disposable gowns, face masks, and other PPE create unnecessary waste
For a long time, people didn’t think much about the waste hospitals produce. If you want clean materials, the easiest way is to grab something new. So, countless face masks, gowns, and gloves ended up in the trash every day.
However, when waste levels rose during the pandemic, awareness started to grow. Just in terms of PPE, 87,000 tons of material were used worldwide between March 2020 and November 2021. The majority of that waste ended up in the bin and had to be processed by the waste industry. Although the volume of medical waste has dropped since the pandemic, it’s still significant. In the Netherlands alone, each hospital bed generates an average of half a kilo of waste per day. In terms of emissions, the Dutch healthcare sector is just as polluting as the aviation industry.
That’s why a national network called the “Green ICU” has been working actively for the past few years. This partnership connects intensive care units across the country and operates under the coordination of the NVIC (Dutch Society for Intensive Care). Physician and intensivist Diederik Gommers helped initiate the network. During the pandemic, he advised the Dutch parliament as one of its key medical experts. Today, he uses this platform to drive progress toward a more sustainable healthcare system.
Why more hospitals are switching to washable medical gowns
The Green ICU encourages hospitals to reduce their emissions and the amount of medical waste they produce. They offer practical tips, such as replacing disposable isolation gowns in ICUs with more sustainable alternatives. Some reusable gowns can be washed up to 100 times. Hospitals that switch to these gowns immediately make a significant impact.
Savings per gown:
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28% less energy use*
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30% less CO₂ emissions*
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41% less water use*
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99% less waste
* Measured across the full life cycle
If a hospital replaces 100,000 disposable gowns, it saves 9,050 kg of CO₂ equivalents per year. That’s the same as the emissions from driving about 40,000 kilometers in a gasoline-powered car.
There is, however, one drawback: the cost. A reusable gown costs €2.16 per use, including rental and laundry. A disposable version costs significantly less, around €1.38 per use. That figure includes both purchase and disposal.
Hospitals still opt for washable isolation gowns
Despite the higher costs, Radboud University Medical Center switched to reusable isolation gowns some time ago. The main reason is that staff are happy with the gowns and sustainability is a key priority for the hospital. This month, the endoscopy department of the Northwest Hospital Group in Alkmaar also decided to follow in Radboudumc’s footsteps. They’ve replaced their disposable gowns with reusable ones.
Not only in the Netherlands, but also worldwide, more and more healthcare organizations are launching initiatives for sustainable protective gear. For instance, the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) introduced new sustainable uniforms for all hospital staff last year. They made the uniforms entirely from recycled polyester and set up a system to recycle old textiles as well. In Scotland, hospitals began using plant-based surgical caps earlier this year. These biodegradable caps can withstand up to 100 washes before needing to be replaced.
It’s encouraging to see that despite higher costs, more and more organizations recognize the urgent need to develop sustainable alternatives. Because let’s face it, we’ve been generating way too much waste for far too long. With the knowledge we now have, it’s time to take a new path forward.
Kind regards,
Aileen