Maintaining Sustainable Practices Is Possible Amid The Growing Demand for PPE Sustainability is a hot topic, but does it have any real meaning for industrial PPE? By Rodney TaylorNov 18, 2020 Total sales of sustainable products are expected to pass $150 billion next year, and the demand for sustainable products is only expected to continue. Sustainable product sales have increased 40% since 2014, representing a gain of $43 billion USD. Sustainable product growth is not limited to just one market sector. An assessment of companies by market sector revealed that a wide range of companies are claiming added profits from sustainable products and offerings. For example, the consumer products sector ranks high—as expected. But we also see companies from diverse, core industrial sectors such as industrial goods, energy and utilities, chemicals, automobiles all claiming differentiated profits from sustainable products and offerings. Increased focus on sustainability for core industrial markets puts industrial PPE in the mix. For perhaps some more meaningful examples of corporate sustainability focus, all you have to do is visit websites of your customers (or their customers, depending on where you are positioned in the value chain.) Websites across every market sector and company, regardless of size, are putting sustainability front and center. Even candidates are looking to join companies with a sustainable footprint—this is regarded as one of the top values job seekers are highlighting as important to their core values when looking for an organization to join. What does all this mean? An increasing number of companies are making and publicizing sustainability goals. Achieving these sustainability targets will take significant effort and expense. At the same time, internal and external stakeholders are expected to trim operating costs. This means customers are looking for sustainability wins that will not bust budgets. There has been a lot of media coverage around disposable nitrile gloves as essential PPE for COVID-19 response. It is estimated that COVID-19 response has generated a 45% spike in demand, representing increased consumption of almost 140 billion single-use gloves. These gloves will eventually make their way into a landfill and be combined with the almost 15 billion pounds of rubber waste. From a sustainability standpoint, this is a massive issue, as rubber is a contaminant in current recycling streams. A typical nitrile glove will take potentially hundreds of years to decompose in a landfill. Let's block ads! (Why?)