Aquila already aims to minimise these issues by offering gloves with a lifetime of 14 washes, but Taste International plan to go further by studying the possibility of low-energy bulk laundering for large quantities on a collect basis.
Factory production processes are under environmental pressure where it is possible to use renewable energy and to recycle wastewater to a level of zero pollution.
Typically, industrial gloves are a mix of cotton, polyester and nylon, so the programme will look at re-use and recycling with awareness of launder-and-match possibilities for large-scale consumers and use of chopped/shredded material in insulation, soft stuffing, packaging and reconstituted panels. Other reclaim processes include carding and re-weaving or mechanical /chemical reduction to components for re-use.
