Big Sustainability Impact Using Disposables

Eagle Protect’s ongoing focus on reducing the environmental impact of our customers is one we are proud of!  In 2019, by swapping our customers to better quality Eagle gloves we saved 443,820 lbs of waste, 70,547 lbs of CO₂ and 1,162,178 gallons of water.

We achieved these savings by 

• Reducing our customers glove usage by up to 30% - using less of a better quality product. 
• Reducing glove and packaging waste, by moving customers from thicker, heavier vinyl and poor quality nitrile gloves, to new technology superior quality nitrile gloves. These are thinner, stronger and and provide significant waste savings in terms of disposed glove weight waste and associated packaging. 
• Reduced glove usage, reduces associated transport emissions and water required for manufacturing.
• Conducting in person audits - to advise on best for purpose products. Read a customer case study for more information. 
  
  

How your glove choice will reduce your environmental impact

Many companies are now considering their environmental impact, and glove type will effect this. The recycling option is frequently asked about, but as per the 5 Rs, should be the last option to consider. 

• Refuse: The FDA Food Code stipulates food handlers should not handle ready-to-eat food with bare hands, rather by using utensils such as single-use gloves. In most cases refusing gloves is not an option.
• Reduce: companies can easily reduce their own environmental impact by considering their glove type, weight and most importantly quality; instantly reducing their overall environmental footprint. Read a case study where large retailer reduced how many gloves they were using by switching to Eagle gloves.
• Reuse & Repurpose: Eagle is exploring the possibility of turning gloves into post-consumer items, currently with little success.
• Recycle: The last option to consider when reviewing the environmental impact of your gloves. The recycling of disposable gloves is currently conducted by TerraCycle, the additional collection bin and shipping is estimated to approximately double the cost of gloves, making it less feasible for most companies.
  
  

If you’re exploring how to make your business more sustainable and eliminate waste, Eagle can help you do this without implementing any process changes, simply by changing your disposable glove type.

Help the environment, choose Eagle.