Page 38 - OHS, June 2024

PPE: HAND PROTECTION
lower total cost of ownership at comparable prices to incumbent solutions, particularly in the industrial glove sector. At one time, “green” products were generally expected to offer lower perfor- mance at a premium price. Advances in technology and econo- mies of scale fueled by increased customer demand for sustainable products have turned those expectations on end.
Several leading industrial glove manufacturers have developed innovative technologies aimed at reducing carbon footprints. These technologies leverage recycled or renewable content and/or have been designed with sustainable end-of-life strategies like re- cyclability or enhanced biodegradability. Now an array of sustain- able PPE solutions that meet requirements for safety performance provide the same form, fit, and function and are offered at compa- rable prices to incumbent PPE. Combine these products with reli- able sustainability data and end users have real sustainability wins that can be included in company ESG reporting.
Steps End Users Should Take
to Leverage the Benefits of Sustainable PPE
■ Get buy-in from executive leadership. Sustainability is undoubt- edly on the radar of senior leadership. But company management may be so focused on capital-intensive Scopes 1 and 2 projects that they haven’t had the opportunity to consider the potential benefits from Scope 3 emissions, such as sustainable PPE. Sustainable PPE could provide a quick emissions reduction win to help leaders see
the potential benefits of allocating resources to Scope 3 programs. ■ Align on metrics. The infrastructure for environmental pol- icy is still very much in development. There is a huge gap around common language, assessment frameworks, performance metrics and policies. Despite, these challenges, the business community and other sustainability stakeholders have aligned on CO2e as a critical emissions metric. A variety of different greenhouse gases (GHGs) or Global Warming Potential (GWP) gases have been linked to human activity. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most com- mon. CO2e or carbon dioxide “equivalent” emissions describes the warming potential of all company GHGs as a single unit. Start by assessing your company’s CO2e. Whatever assessment scheme we all ultimately settle on will include carbon emissions. Innovative product solutions must be combined with new ways of assessing the environmental impact of using these products. PPE suppliers must not only invest in the development of sustainable products but also build processes and tools that provide end users with reli-
able sustainability reporting data.
■ Demand certifications and third-party test results from PPE suppliers. Readers with industrial safety backgrounds readily grasp the need for independent, third-party testing for PPE. In the safety community, marketing claims that cannot be backed by reli- able test data often aren’t worth the paper they are printed on. The same thinking holds true for sustainability claims. According to an American Marketing Association study, 58 percent of environ-
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36 Occupational Health & Safety | JUNE 2024
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