MedTech Series x Oxwash
Laundry will be a concept many of you will be familiar with. For the eco-conscious readers, when you do your laundry at home you will apply techniques that limit the impact of each wash, such as washing at lower temperatures, using more organic-based washing powders, and may air dry clothes.
But have any of you considered the environmental impact of commercial laundry?
Changing the Tide on Commercial Laundry
With Oxwash
How Oxwash is pioneering sustainable laundry in healthcare
Commercial laundries operate on a linear model taking resources in and wasting them on the other side, and there are three core areas in which laundry causes a negative environmental impact: energy consumption, use of toxic chemicals and high water usage.
Whilst this may be the current practice the industry follows, Oxwash is looking to reinvent how commercial laundry operates, adopting a circular approach to protect our finite resources.
Oxwash is the sustainable solution to commercial laundry, whose aim is to eliminate the impact of textile cleaning on both the planet and people. Halston Group spoke to Dr Kyle C Grant, Founder of Oxwash, to discuss the impact of this industry and uncover how they are driving positive change and setting new standards for sustainability and social responsibility.
The Environmental Impact of Laundry
Halston Group spoke to Dr Kyle C Grant, Founder of Oxwash, to discuss the impact of this industry and uncover how they are driving positive change and setting new standards for sustainability and social responsibility.
“Laundry is not necessarily an industry that the general public believe has much of an impact on the planet or people. But actually, when you lift the lid on the industry, it’s pretty toxic. We as a company have spent a lot of time quantifying the impact of the industry, both at home and in commercial settings, taking into consideration its carbon emissions, the number of natural resources that are lost, the unnecessary waste, and then the toxic chemistry of detergents or bleach. In 2019, NHS’s emissions totalled 25 megatonnes of co2e, 62% in the supply chain (~ 15.5 megatonnes) of which business services is around 1.5 megatonnes. This encompasses the heating of water, drying of items, and the energy drawn from machinery, then when you layer on top the logistics of moving items from hospital settings to plants and back again, it’s astronomical.”
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NASA to Net-Zero Textiles
“Oxwash was founded with the mission to permanently eliminate the impact of textile cleaning on our planet and us. The inspiration for starting the company comes from an unlikely place, so in a previous life, I was a NASA and Space X life support systems engineer, designing the systems that are currently used in Dragon 2 or NASA’s deep space vehicle, Orion. The approach to life support is simple, you have a finite amount of resources; water, air, and calories, that you need to take into space and make last as long as possible, ideally indefinitely and you achieve that through closing the loop of those resources. Making sure that you reclaim the water that you drink or the air that you breathe. Oxwash is applying that same approach of building a life support system with finite resources to textiles and clothing.”
Dr Kyle C Grant – Oxwash
Promoting Linen Longevity
Aside from cutting-edge technology, Oxwash supports a wide range of industries with expert advice to extend the longevity of linens. According to research, each year a typical 400-room hotel will generate around 2-3 metric tons of used linen. It has been uncovered that higher-end luxury hotel brands have even been disposing of linens every nine months or so (the industry average is between 1-3 years). This amounts to an incredible amount of waste, which can be held at bay for many years with proper treatment of linens.
Oxwash’s simple approach includes 5 core actions that will keep linens in rotation for many more washes. The extension in linen lifespan reduces the cost to our planet.
Tailored for healthcare facility leaders, this FREE guide is an exclusive resource for excellence and sustainability. Explore industry-specific insights that enhance linen durability, reducing replacements and conserving resources and budgets effectively. Elevate your patient experiences with enduring, high-quality linens, demonstrating your commitment to excellence and strengthening your ESG commitment. Make a difference on every level, from your operations and bottom line to the guest experience and the planet.
Are you ready to enhance your impact?