We are really proud to have won the Shropshire Chamber of Commerce Eco Business of the Year award in the face of such stiff opposition. We have been recognised by our Shropshire peers for enabling many UK businesses to offset their Scope 3 CO2e emissions by washing and re-using their gloves, hi-vis and other PPE. Many of them have also won awards for recycling their PPE, and whlist we're all marching behind the sustainability banner, with cost savings of up to 70% against new spend it really is a no-brainer!
It was our ambition to divert waste PPE from landfill when we started the company in 2016 but this is no longer good enough. We now re-purpose 85% of all waste PPE which is either incorporated into new products or donated to charity. The only items we have to send for ERW (energy recovery from waste) are mixed fibre gloves. Recent research has identified a new waste stream opportunity for these as aggregates in concrete, so watch this space!
We were lucky enough to win the athletes' and team's laundry contract for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. The wealthy countries were able to commission brand new kits emblazoned with Birmingham 2022 so were always intended for single use. Many of the smaller countries' kits were heavily worn and it was sad to recognise that some of the poorer island states would soon be engulfed by rising seawater if we don't act now.
By washing and re-using PPE which is virtually all manufactured on the other side of the world, we can reduce CO2e emmissions and stop drawing on the planet's finite resources.