Sustainability of Medical Gowns Supply Chain Management in the Post-covid Era

Medical textiles comprise many patient care items, including bed linens, personal protective equipment, dressings, and implantable surgical devices. Medical gowns protect perioperative personnel from microorganisms and contamination related to the patient’s body fluids. At the same time, the gowns protect patients from microbial contamination by surgical personnel. Gowns are predominantly single-use, made of polymer plastic-based synthetic fibers, low cost and able to provide protection against pathogens. Despite growing environmental concerns with single-use plastic-based devices, the recent Covid-19 pandemic has seen a significant and generalized increase in the use of disposable medical devices, including medical gowns, which could result in a further surge of plastic and microplastic pollution. The paper aims to review the nature of the raw materials involved in the production, the manufacturing techniques and the supply chain of medical gowns. The environmental impacts in the value chain are identified from production to consumption, focusing on water use, chemical pollution, CO2 emissions, and waste. The need for fundamental changes in the business model is outlined, including increased usage of recyclable medical gowns. The adoption of a circular management approach can address existing supply chain “bottlenecks”, establish better waste management, promote the use of sustainable materials and local processes with minimized associated environmental problems.