A recent study focused on the importance of reusable personal protective equipment to Canadian healthcare providers and their patients during the COVID-19 pandemic concluded that reusable PPE is safe, secure, sustainable – and lower cost than disposables. “Healthcare workers who had access to (reusable gowns, goggles, face shields, and elastomeric respirators) and infrastructure for cleaning and sterilizing them had a greater sense of confidence to undertake their jobs due to an increased sense of personal safety,” read the study abstract.

“This research supports the claim that adopting and supporting reusable PPE systems throughout the health sector can, if used appropriately on an ongoing basis, provide continuous access to reusable PPE while also contributing many co-benefits, including lower costs, domestic jobs, and improved environmental performance such as reduced waste and greenhouse gas emissions,” .