Our team consists of over 150 years of experience in so many industries, we’ve lost count. Read their takes on important conversations and topics below.
We wanted to share this piece about what brands need to know about sustainability.
Ella Barnett, in a piece published to Medium, What Brands Need to Know About Sustainability Moving into 2021:
A good product is no longer enough to win over consumers; instead, consumers are increasingly looking for brands that align with their values. With Millennials and Gen Z expanding in both influence and spending power, brands have no choice but to incorporate their demands. These generations are driving the sustainability movement, demanding with their dollars that brands take sustainability seriously. A new Capgemini Report shows that 79% of consumers are changing their purchase preferences based on social responsibility, inclusiveness, or environmental impact shown by a brand.
The global pandemic has shed a much-needed spotlight on sustainability within organizations and their supply chains, forcing difficult discussions about the role companies play in the future of our planet.
A study released in October 2020 found 81% of companies are more focused on sustainability today than they were three years ago. Another study released in July 2020 shows 79% of consumers are changing their purchase preferences based on the social responsibility, inclusiveness, or environmental impact shown by a brand.
Sustainability within an organization is no longer negotiable and greenwashing is no longer acceptable. We believe it's time for brands to start making a concerted effort to implement sustainable practices at all levels of the organization.
Let's take a look at isolation gowns, what's so important about them, and why we're asking the question in the first place.
Due to the global pandemic, isolation gowns play a central role in the fight against COVID-19. These gowns are designed to protect the wearer against the transmission of fluids, microorganisms and contaminants. Along with gloves, masks and face shields, isolation gowns are critical to the success of our infection-control strategies.
Gowns are rated by the AAMI from levels 1-4:
Rated gowns are tested for key performance characteristics:
It’s more important than ever for healthcare professionals to be equipped with the proper protective equipment to help reduce the spread of dangerous microorganisms and contaminants. Nurses and physicians use up to 28 gowns per day, disposing of them following each interaction with a patient.
That's 28 gowns per day for every single healthcare hero supporting the fight against COVID-19, globally.
Let that sink in for a moment.
The sheer amount of plastic waste that this generates is difficult to comprehend, and that's where we come in.
Smart Plastic has developed a proprietary, bio-based gown material that passes AAMI level 1, 2 & 3 tests, significantly reduces carbon impact and bio-assimilates the same as paper. This enables us to fight COVID-19 without filling our landfills and oceans with harmful plastic waste.
All gowns made with this material are 100% recyclable, FDA approved and purposefully designed for the circular economy.
We have partnered with Fairfield Processing Corporation to bring to market the Inspiration Gown™, a sustainably designed isolation gown, that's manufactured right here in the United States.
With the capacity to produce millions of gowns per month domestically, the Inspiration Gown™ represents the ability to support and protect the US economy, workforce and the environment.
To learn more about the Inspiration Gown™ by Fairfieldand how to order, contact their PPE sales team today at ppesales@fairfieldworld.com.
Learn about the impact of single-use plastics with the revolutionary SPTek ECLIPSE™ bio-assimilation additive in this video from The Ruskin Group.
Ryan Ruskin, CEO of the The Ruskin Group, discusses the need to reduce the impact of single-use plastics with the revolutionary SPTek ECLIPSE™ bio-assimilation additive.
Watch the video on YouTube.
Infused with our proprietary bio-assimilation additive, the ECLIPSE™ Gown will both protect the wearer and biodegrade the same as paper.
As the world economy grapples with the challenge of reopening, the global need for PPE has exploded. Companies big and small need to implement enhanced health and safety protocols in an effort to keep employees and customers safe. Many businesses are finding it difficult to implement effective physical distancing at all times, making PPE like masks, gloves and gowns even more critical. An unfortunate side effect of this need is a dramatic increase in plastic waste.
The ECLIPSE™ Gown tackles both problems.
Infused with our bio-assimilation additive, the ECLIPSE™ Gown will protect the wearer and bio-assimilate the same as paper, degrading to a molecular weight that can be consumed by living organisms.
These non-sterile gowns feature a fluid-repellent polyethylene film, combining effective fluid resistance and wearer comfort. Ideal for patient contact, fluid isolation, decontamination or general cleanup tasks, the Smart Plastic ECLIPSE™ Gown will protect against bodily fluids to support the health and confidence of both customers and employees.
In the midst of this global COVID-19 pandemic, we need to protect the planet while we protect ourselves. The ECLIPSE™ Gown will completely bio-assimilate in both terrestrial and marine environments, resulting in no long-term environmental impact and leaving behind no microplastics.
To learn more about the ECLIPSE™ Gown and our entire catalog of sustainable polymer additives and products, contact us today.
All of the defining images of the coronavirus pandemic seem to feature one thing: plastic.
Rob Picheta writing for CNN, Coronavirus is causing a flurry of plastic waste. Campaigners fear it may be permanent:
PPE has become an additional threat to the world's oceans, which have been choking under the weight of plastic at a rapidly increasing rate.
Tim Murtaugh and Jay Tapp were recently featured in Manufacturing Technology Insights.
Even though it takes only minutes to make plastic, it's difficult to break down and it can exist as litter for decades. Smart Plastic has developed a silver lining.
Read the report over on Manufacturing Technology Insights.
A tiny turtle that washed up dead on a beach in Florida was found to have eaten 104 pieces of plastic, campaigners said.
Ellen Manning writing for Yahoo! News:
“Unfortunately, not every washback survives. 100% of our washbacks that didn't make it had plastic in their intestinal tracts. This turtle, which would fit in the palm of your hand, had eaten 104 pieces of plastic. This is a sad reminder that we all need to do our part to keep our oceans plastic free.”
Researchers at McGill University found that a single tea bag releases around 11.6 billion microplastic particles, and 3.1 billion even smaller nanoplastic particles.
Rob Picheta writing for CNN:
The team removed the tea from inside the bags to prevent it from interfering with the results, before boiling the bags in water to simulate the tea-making process. Scientists have found microplastics in various foods, but less research has been done into whether they can be shed into water during the brewing of tea and other hot drinks. Many tea producers use polypropylene to seal their bags.
To all the places and surfaces we’ve been warned are teeming with germs or bacteria—your pets, the subway seat, airplane cabins, the A.T.M.—add the airport security tray.
Read more on The New York Times.
“Chicago-based straw maker turns to biodegradable, compostable solutions.”
Catherine Kavanaugh writing for Plastics News:
Smart Plastic Technologies LLC (SPT) says it has developed two products — an additive and a material — that cause plastic to rapidly degrade in response to businesses seeking alternatives to plastic straws, which may be used for only a matter of minutes yet litter land and waterways for eons.
