A meeting of minds at a trade association gathering was the impetus behind a collaborative effort from two small companies to drive the future development of recycling for PPE workwear, thanks to bespoke laundry services.
The “eureka” moment came when Alan Vickerstaff of EDC Protection and Denise Brinton, founder of Staysafe PPE Ltd, chatted during the refreshment break at an Alfed meeting in 2022, discovering their shared desire to extend the effective life of PPE clothing by thorough cleaning which doesn’t compromise the protective qualities, facilitating re-use rather than replace.
EDC and Staysafe are a perfect fit because they share the same sustainability values, have unrivalled industry knowledge and expertise, and are the go-to specialists in their fields. They work together to tailor their services to meet their customers’ specific requirements.
Whilst laundering of clothing is nothing new, the continued advancement of fire retardant materials means that laundering options for some items have proved notoriously difficult in the past. Vickerstaff was keen to explore the idea of washing and reusing work gloves after being approached by several customers. Meanwhile Brinton had already spotted a gap in the PPE laundry market in 2018. Although there are several laundry companies servicing the UK cast metals and engineering industries, no one was recycling PPE during this process and in particular washing protective gloves, that is until Staysafe took up the challenge.
Melt master fire retardant clothing
By the time they met in 2022, they had both made great strides to change the nature of PPE use (and re-use) through manufacturing using newly advanced materials and through laundering – they just needed to bring these combined capabilities together.
EDC Protection was introducing a new specially developed workwear product for foundries – ‘Melt Master’ fire retardant clothing, and Vickerstaff turned to Brinton’s expertise to question whether this too could be laundered to extend its life.
At the time, EDC was in discussions with a large West Midlands cast iron foundry for the purchase of over six hundred items of Melt Master fire retardant clothing. Coming to the end of an existing laundering contract, the foundry was keen to explore other options. In April this year, Vickerstaff pitched this new range of clothing together with the laundry/recycling service offered by Staysafe as a package which was duly taken up by the foundry.
Melt Master performance
On a recent LinkedIn post, Vickerstaff, together with Richard Heath of the Cast Metals Federation, witnessed Colin Whorton of the Elite Centre for Manufacturing Skills perform both splash and pour tests with molten iron and aluminium on garments that had been laundered ten times. The specially designed garments withstood tests over and above safety regulation criteria because these garments have been specifically designed for the purpose.
In terms of personal protective clothing, Staysafe has a proven track record of extending its life. Each item of clothing is barcoded on its first arrival at their site in Shropshire (UK), enabling it to record how many wash cycles the item has had. Generally, fire retardant items can be washed fifty times without diminishing their protective qualities. More fire retardants and water proofing can be added at the rinsing stage. However, one advantage of EDC Protection’s new range of Melt Master clothing is that it is inherently fire retardant, so can be washed as many times as needed, proving even more cost effective and satisfying environmental credentials.
Staying safe provides a sustainable solution
Aside from recognising a good business opportunity, Brinton had become wedded to the importance of sustainability in clothing after Staysafe won the tender to launder the athlete’s clothing during the Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham in 2022. She noted that the clothing used by the athletes from the poorest countries was worn out already after being used multiple times and she became very interested in making changes locally which she hopes will filter down and influence more companies to make their processes more sustainable and help the environment as much as possible.
Staysafe ensures every part of the laundry process is as eco-friendly as possible, using the latest washing and drying technology which operates at much lower temperatures. saving around 49 per cent of the usual consumption of electricity and water. The company also uses innovative detergents that capture carbon during the washing process.
Like Staysafe, EDC is also committed to keeping garments in circulation for as long as possible and supplies spare fabric, zippers and poppers free of charge to enable compliant repairs.
End of life items are de-branded and donated to charity where the fabrics can be reused in a variety of ways, or else shredded for insulation materials, or deconstructed to make polyester yarn. Boots and shoes which can’t be reused are granulated, rubber and foam are used for new insoles and the residue for children’s soft play areas. Nothing is sent to landfill, only coated gloves for incineration, because they can’t be broken down.
Brinton explains the importance of clothing recycling in the workplace. “With a soon to be imposed levy on any items sent to landfill or incineration, the ability to recycle is vital for all manufacturers. Every tonne of recycled goods allows a company to offset 14.7 tonnes of Scope 4 avoided CO2 emissions,” she tells Foundry Trade Journal.
Waving goodbye to waste
The collaborative journey began with an enquiry from EDC Protection about the washing of protective gloves. Staysafe is the only UK company currently offering this service. Gloves can generally be washed up to four times and worn up to five times. Each glove is checked after being laundered for any defects before being packed for return and re-issue. The idea to explore the possibility came to Brinton in a previous job where she was a buyer and saw washing instructions in gloves. Very few companies currently wash and reuse gloves, which results in thousands of pounds of expenditure each year in replacements, and tonnes of landfill or incineration waste. This is the only waste stream solution to deliver net cost savings.
One of Staysafe’s customers saved £162,000 last year on new spend, won the Green Apple Sustainability Award, and was able to offset 127 tonnes of Scope 4 avoided emissions.
Network, collaboration and solutions
Alan Vickerstaff is delighted with the outcome of his “chance” meeting with Denise Brinton. “I would recommend Staysafe to EDC Protection customers in the UK due to the sustainability, integrity and honesty I’ve witnessed at the company,” he said. “We are small companies, and it is vital that we combine our efforts to tackle some of the most important dilemmas for our customers and for the world. I was immediately impressed with Denise’s attitude and what inspired her and we at EDC have long been championing the benefits of recycling PPE for our UK customers.
“Things that were previously thought impossible, are now achievable if we all work together. Also, let’s not forget the importance of working with our trade associations and others to network. That’s how Denise and I met and look at the outcome.”
Contact: Alan Vickerstaff, sales manager UK and Ireland, EDC Protection, Tel: +44 (0) 7710 098958, email: [email protected] web: www.edc-protection.com
Denise Brinton, founder, Staysafe PPE Ltd, Tel: +44 (0) 1746 781027, email: [email protected] web: www.pperecycling.co.uk
EDC Protection offers innovative and reliable thermal protection. The company has acquired extensive knowledge of thermal risks and offers customers a range of solutions, including aluminised garments, thermal protection garments, fire resistant garments, hand, arm and torso protection, and face protection. Made to measure options are also available.