How to Save Glove Waste & Disposal Costs (AND Improve Safety)

300 billion disposable gloves are manufactured globally each year of which 45 billion are estimated to be used in the global food industry (BMA 2016), and after use are disposed of into a landfill. Many companies now have sustainability goals in place, with a focus on waste reduction, or indeed a "zero waste" policy, and reducing their disposable glove usage and waste is of utmost importance. Through the correct type of glove used to handle a product, and a focus on the quality of raw materials used in glove manufacturing, it is possible for companies to reduce their environmental footprint while improving their safety standards.

Why is glove type & raw material content important in reducing waste?

1. Glove manufacturers can reduce costs by using cheap raw materials which lower glove strength, flexibility and durability, increasing the rate of glove failure, and waste.  
2. Because glove strength is highly proportional to the quality and choice of raw materials, thinner quality gloves are often stronger and more resistant to tearing compared to a thicker glove, reducing waste produced.
3. Vinyl gloves have a poor resistance to stretch and elongation leading to poorer fitting gloves with more holes occurring during use.  
4. Nitrile’s molecular structure is formulated for improved strength, and high chemical and tear resistance, reducing glove failure and subsequent waste production. Read more about why nitrile is becoming the commonly preferred glove.

How Much Waste Could Your Company Save?

Simply enter your annual vinyl glove usage into our Sustainability Calculator and see how much waste your company could save by switching from vinyl to Eagle Protect nitrile gloves. Read the potential adverse health effects of cheap vinyl gloves.

How Can Eagle Protect Help Reduce Your Waste?

1. The raw material “ingredients” of a range of Eagle disposable gloves are Delta Zero verified, to ensure they adhere to the highest level of consistent glove safety and performance. Improved quality reduces glove failure rate during food handling.
2. Eagle disposable nitrile gloves meet or exceed medical examination grade standards, with an AQL of 1.5. The lower the AQL, the less defective gloves per box. In contrast there is no AQL requirement for 'food grade' gloves, meaning there are no guidelines for maximum pinhole defects - no guidelines for the number of failures per box. Read why examination grade gloves are important for food safety.
3. With improved strength and elongation (due to an improved quality of raw material), Eagle gloves are thinner and stronger than other thicker disposable nitrile gloves.  
4. A reduction in glove failure rate reduces subsequent glove changes, decreasing worker downtime and improving worker productivity - financially benefitting any business. Worker efficiency is also improved with a quality glove due to optimal fit and a reduction in skin irritation and hand injuries, reducing sick leave and worker's comp claims.

We will help you reduce your environmental footprint, improve sustainability goals, while improving your safety procedures - ultimately lowering your associated business risk. Read more about how Eagle Protect supplies environmentally better disposable gloves, and how we helped our customers save 5,000 tons of waste in one year by switching our customers from vinyl gloves to our FineTough nitrile gloves.

We helped our customers save 5,000 tons of waste last year.

Check out Eagle Protect’s disposable nitrile gloves that can support your company’s sustainability efforts.