During the pandemic, more disposable items such as plastic gloves and protective aprons needed to be used. But even after the pandemic, this pattern of behavior has remained and a large part of the region’s climate impact comes from plastic gloves and protective aprons.
– Last year we used 13 million plastic gloves in the Jönköping County region. Actually, it is only needed in case of contact with body fluid, says Maria Cannerborg, who is the environmental manager at the Jönköping County region.
In the clip above about how to reduce disposable items in healthcare.
Lessons from the pandemic
Healthcare would benefit in several ways than reducing the climate impact of reducing single-use items and instead using reusable items.
– We learned during the pandemic that we are very vulnerable when it comes to long deliveries of disposable materials. So by trying to use more reusable items, we gain from reduced vulnerability and reduced costs, says Maria Cannerborg.
The fact that disposable items are a major environmental culprit in healthcare is common to all regions of the country.