ReGlove: Reusable nitrile gloves for healthcare
ReGlove is an innovative project that has developed a circular solution for the healthcare sector through reusable nitrile gloves - the first concept of its kind worldwide. The concept has been piloted at Vejle Hospital.
ReGlove is supported by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency with a mission to reduce the climate footprint of the healthcare sector and strengthen the security of supply of protective equipment. Over a two-year period, the partnership has established a new supply chain where gloves can be collected, washed and reused up to 15 times.
- Our concept offers a way out of the use-and-throw-away culture that has also characterised healthcare for years. It will lead to a major CO2 reduction and at the same time strengthen the security of supply, so we won't have to keep millions of disposable gloves lying around in the future, for example in the event of a new epidemic, says Senior Project Manager Søren Haack from Danish Technological Institute.
Large consumption of disposable gloves
Healthcare in Denmark accounts for around six per cent of the country's total CO2 emissions, and a significant contribution to this comes from disposable gloves. In the Central Denmark Region alone, 37 million disposable gloves are used annually. The heavy reliance on these gloves during the coronavirus epidemic highlighted the need for circular solutions as the security of supply of critical protective equipment was put under severe pressure.
A circular supply chain for gloves
The ReGlove glove is a high-quality, customised glove that is suitable to be collected, washed and reused several times. After use, the glove is thrown into a dedicated sorting bin that is collected by Textilia, which washes, quality assures and redistributes gloves for use again. In other words, the concept fits into the existing infrastructure for washing and distribution of e.g. lab coats and bed linen.
Bait A/S, which is already a supplier of nitrile gloves and came up with the idea for the concept, is responsible for the production of the new reusable nitrile gloves, while Textilia is responsible for the collection, washing and delivery of the gloves.
The gloves can be reused up to 15 times, which will significantly reduce resource consumption and waste. A third-party validated LCA calculation proves that:
- ReGlove gloves have a lower environmental impact than disposable gloves after 3 uses.
- ReGlove gloves have a lower carbon footprint and CO2 emissions than disposable gloves after 2 uses (i.e. already after one wash and reuse of the glove).
Innovative concept with global market potential
The ReGlove project is the first of its kind worldwide and the market potential is estimated to be high. The green transition is a global priority and the solution can be adapted to different countries and markets. ReGlove offers a model that can not only be implemented in Denmark, but also exported to healthcare sectors worldwide.
The great potential of the ReGlove concept should also be seen in the context of a growing global market for nitrile gloves. It is expected to increase by 9.5% by 2032. This is partly due to increased focus on hygiene after the COVID-19 pandemic and a growing global healthcare sector.
Positive feedback on pilot trials
The concept was piloted in hospitals and dental clinics in Denmark and Sweden in 2024 with overwhelmingly positive feedback from healthcare professionals - both in terms of usage and collection. Here, 88% of respondents said they preferred the quality of the ReGlove glove over the normal disposable nitrile gloves, while 91% said it was easy to get used to sorting the glove for washing rather than discarding it.
The ReGlove recycling concept was tested at Vejle Hospital in autumn 2024, where the gloves were collected in dedicated buckets. The buckets were collected by Textilia, who washed the gloves and delivered them back to the hospital.
FACTS ABOUT REGLOVE
Project title
ReGlove
Project period
2022-2024
Project type
Lighthouse project supported by the Environmental Technology Development and Demonstration Programme (MUDP) under the Ministry of Environment and Gender Equality
Purpose of the project
Development of a circular supply chain for reusable nitrile gloves
Partners in the programme
Bait A/S, Textilia A/S, Danish Technological Institute
Supported SDGs
