Cutting the cost of throwaway gloves

Cotton glove liners are worn under vinyl or latex gloves to keep hands warm and to prevent skin irritation. Once used, they're thrown away, because their thin cotton stockinette weave simply won't withstand the thorough and repeated washing required to ensure food safety.

But recent rises in cotton prices has prompted Needlers to work with its suppliers in the Far East to develop a cheaper alternative.

"It's not overstating the case to say that our new polyester glove liners are revolutionary," says Needlers md Alistair Needler. "The industry has been putting up with poorly made cotton gloves, with their inherent foreign body risk, for years. Our new, non-linting glove liners will save customers 30%, don't use up valuable cotton crops and, because they can be washed and re-used up to 15 times, will ultimately reduce the number of used glove liners going to landfill, saving money and helping to improve the environment."

After each use, the glove liners are placed in the bar-coded wash bag provided. This is then sealed and can be laundered in the same wash cycle as other workwear. The gloves are dried in the wash bag too and delivered, sealed, back to site.

This system has been trialled successfully with workwear laundry specialists Johnson Apparelmaster, Cannon and Sunlight. Needler adds: "Two of our customers, Bakkavör and 2 Sisters, have already switched to the new glove liners and we expect many more to follow shortly."