Preventing infection, protecting the planet

THE IPCC – the scientific body that advises the UN on rising temperatures – released a new report in March and it made for sober reading. It appears there is little chance of controlling global warming and staying below the 1.5C ‘overshoot’, so it’s imperative for us to look at how we can reduce further warming and keep to around 1.5C by 2100. 

We need to recognise that this is an urgent global plight to achieve Net Zero as fast as we can. It is a huge challenge as a nation and, indeed as a planet, to hit these targets, but what we do now will have an enormous effect on our future generations. 

All organisations must act to cut carbon emissions, but some sectors have more complex requisites than others. Take hospital and health care settings for instance - they have to carefully balance the needs of their patients and staff by helping to prevent infection, while also meeting ambitious sustainability goals. 

Good hygiene reduces infection

Good hand hygiene is essential in reducing the spread of germs and viruses, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) citing that washing hands with soap and water can reduce deaths from diarrhoeal disease by up to 50%. 

Handwashing is particularly important in healthcare settings to help avoid Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs), which pose a risk for patients, staff and visitors alike. According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), it is estimated that 300,000 patients a year contact an HAI as a result of care in the NHS. Furthermore, these infections are believed to cost the NHS approximately £1billion a year. HAIs also put greater pressure on already stretched NHS resources to treat preventable illnesses.

Washroom facilities are therefore a vital part of any healthcare setting, allowing healthcare professionals to wash their hands before and after seeing patients and for patients and visitors to help keep themselves safe whilst on the premises. 

The washroom conundrum

We all know how important washing our hands is, but drying them after washing is equally important as damp hands can spread 1000 times more bacteria than dry hands. It’s crucial therefore that washrooms in hospital and healthcare settings must be well equipped to keep everyone as safe as possible. But what drying method should they use and is it environmentally-friendly?

A study conducted at Leeds General Infirmary investigated if viruses transmitted beyond washroom surfaces to the hospital’s public and clinical spaces. It found that hand washing and drying with paper towels resulted in lower rates of virus contamination compared to air dryers. The levels of contamination of surfaces after hand drying with air dryers was, on average, 10 times higher than with paper towels.  

Another study that investigated which drying methods (jet air, warm air dryers and paper towels) contributed least towards the contamination of the environment and the users^.. It found that bacterial counts in close proximity to hand drying were 4.5 fold higher for the jet air dryer, compared with the warm air dryer and 27-fold higher compared with use of paper towels^.. The study concluded that air dryers may be unsuitable for use in healthcare settings because they may promote cross contamination either in the environment itself or by the washroom visitor. 

Furthermore, it’s widely believed that paper towels dry hands quicker and more effectively than air dryers, where people are often tempted to give their hands a cursory blast under the dryer and leave the washroom without drying their hands completely.

Maximising hygiene, minimising environmental impact

So, if paper towels are potentially better for promoting good hygiene and helping to prevent infection in hospital and healthcare environments, how can washroom specifiers ensure that they are choosing sustainable products as well?

With washrooms busier than ever, it’s essential to control the use of paper towels to prevent over usage. Providers should therefore look for high-capacity, controlled-use dispensers that restrict the use of consumables like hand towels. Not only does this help to reduce costs, it also reduces waste and is therefore more environmentally sustainable.

The way a disposable product is dispensed is important in helping to prevent infection as well as minimising the impact on the environment. Dispensers that are sealed, and splash-proof keep products safely stored inside, helping to prevent the contents becoming contaminated. Similarly, those that have been designed to release one length of paper at a time naturally limit consumption, thus reducing over-use and contributing to sustainability.

When it comes to sustainability, It’s better for the environment to invest in durable products, which means less need for energy intense re-manufacture and transportation. A robust dispenser that is built to last, can withstand knocks and bangs and cannot to tampered with is a sound choice. 

Northwood Hygiene’s Raphael dispensers, for instance, are made from durable ABS and are designed to offer years of service before needing replacement.

Reducing miles

Did you know that the WWF estimates that around half of the country’s carbon footprint is ‘invisible’ because it is attributed to the carbon produced overseas to manufacture goods and transport them to the UK? We must all do our bit to reduce international transportation by buying British-made products where possible.

Thinking sustainably, we should also always ensure that paper products are made only from raw materials that have been responsibly sourced – either from recycled materials or from sustainably managed forests. Northwood Hygiene manufactures Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certified paper within its UK-made Raphael range, as well as offering 100% recycled paper options. 

Many hospital and healthcare settings choose our Raphael proprietary washroom system because it provides superior hygiene and cost in use, whilst offering strong environmental benefits. For example, our tissue and soap products are made in the UK to cut down on transport and our toilet tissue dispensers use an innovative Infinity paper system, allowing users to replenish one roll at a time, ensuring full roll usage for the end user and minimising waste.

Championing British manufacturing

As a true UK manufacturer, we are focused on a full circle economy. Fully vertically integrated, we are involved throughout the supply chain - raw material supply, tissue and towel manufacturing, end user product converting, storage and transportation. We’re committed to helping customers to reduce waste and limit consumption in washroom settings.

Widely used to help prevent infection in healthcare settings, including the Galway Clinic and practices in Harley Street, the high-capacity Raphael collection comprises four hand towel and two toilet tissue dispensers, along with a soap dispenser. Every product within the range is designed to reduce waste and over consumption - our roll towel dispensers, for example, dispense at controlled lengths and our Z towel dispensers dispense one sheet at a time to avoid over-use.  

Getting the sector in the loop

As a business, we want to help hospitals and clinics to prevent infection, but we are also committed to helping them to be more sustainable. We’re proud to make another stride towards sustainability with the launch of Green Loop, which is an easy way for these settings to recycle components and help to reduce waste. We’ve teamed up with a specialist supplier to develop a unique insert for our cores, which is made from 100% recycled plastic and is 100% recyclable after use. 

The inserts can simply be removed from the cardboard cores of Raphael products and dropped into a dedicated recycling bin to be returned to us. The plastic inserts are then recycled to make new raw material which can be used for future inserts. This is a closed loop solution, meaning we can re-use the same material over and over again to limit the amount of waste that ends up in landfill.

Good hand hygiene is essential in keeping people safe and preventing infection in hospitals and clinics. Washroom systems that minimise runouts of consumables contribute to achieving good standards of hygiene and help the washroom to be managed more efficiently and sustainably. Washroom specifiers can help everyone feel as safe as possible by choosing trusted solutions that allow for good hand hygiene, whilst also reducing the impact on the environment. 

Joel Quick is sustainability manager at Northwood Hygiene Products.

For more information visit www.northwood.co.uk