{"id":3478,"date":"2019-01-09T16:00:16","date_gmt":"2019-01-09T15:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.texisys.com\/?p=3478"},"modified":"2024-04-25T14:14:43","modified_gmt":"2024-04-25T13:14:43","slug":"true-cost-lost-work-clothes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.texisys.com\/en\/true-cost-lost-work-clothes\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the true cost of lost work clothes?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every year, millions of euros worth of textiles and work clothes disappear in Swedish health care facilities. These millions could be used instead to benefit other areas of health care. In addition, when these textiles disappear from the system, new textiles have to be produced which also becomes a cost – to our environment. The worst environmental impact from textile services is the manufacturing of new textiles.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Important to make the costs visible<\/h2>\n

If you search online for “loss in healthcare”, your results will mostly be about food. As far as food waste are concerned, there are lots of current statistics, articles and action plans for how to address the question of loss. If you search instead for “loss of textiles in the health care industry”, you will find some information. But most of the content turns out to be articles and statistics from 10 years ago. Why is that, you might ask? Well, the simple reason is that several regions and municipalities have \u201csolved\u201d the problem by putting a clause in their contract, including an agreed upon cost of textile loss, and thus made the issue “invisible”.<\/p>\n

That’s how it looks in many places today. Despite the fact that the Sveriges Tv\u00e4tterif\u00f6rbund<\/a> (Swedish Textile Rental Association) believes that a key element in responsible textile management is to actively work to minimize waste. In order to enable this, it is important that costs are visible, so that there is a clear financial incentive to prevent loss.<\/p>\n

Costs exceeds 1 million euros per year<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

If we take a look at Sweden’s two largest regions – Stockholm and V\u00e4stra G\u00f6taland, we see that there are many millions involved. For the sake of justice, we will use official figures available online. These show that the loss of clothing and textiles in Stockholm in 2013 was 12%, and the estimated annual cost to the region was over EUR 1 million annually.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>annual<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>cost<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>of<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>waste<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>in V\u00e4stra\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>G\u00f6taland<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>region is\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>also<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>around<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>EUR\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/a>1 million.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>Throughout<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>years<\/span><\/span>, the V\u00e4stra\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>G\u00f6taland<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>region has driven the\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>campaign<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>“The <\/span><\/span>Pursuit<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>of<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Lost<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>Laundry<\/span><\/span><\/a>“. The region reported, among other things, that they had to buy whole trailers filled with underpants to replace the loss.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Cost<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>in negative\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>environmental<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>impact<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

However<\/span><\/span>, the\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>cost<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>of<\/span><\/span> loss<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>should<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>not\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>only<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>be\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>counted<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>in\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>euros and cents<\/span><\/span>. All the\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>textiles<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>that<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>disappear<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>must be\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>replaced<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>with<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>new\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>ones<\/span><\/span>. If\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>we<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>make a simple\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>calculation<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>example<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>based<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>on the Stockholm<\/span><\/span> 2013\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>statistics,\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>there<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>are<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>about<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>450,000\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>articles<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>that<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>disappeared and\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>needed to be\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>replaced<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>by new\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>ones<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>We<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>can<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>assume<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>life<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>cycle<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>analysis<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>made<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>on cotton<\/span><\/span>\/<\/span><\/span>tencel<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>dress by Sandra\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>Roos<\/span><\/span>, IVL 2012, for TVNO,\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>which<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>shows\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>that:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n