How textile services can enhance your safety

Introduction

By providing protective clothing and hygienic textiles in a variety of work environments (manufacturing industries, high risk environments, hospitals and nursing homes, catering etc.), textile rental and maintenance services provide a safer alternative to ownership, and the washing and maintenance of textiles at home.

Risk assessment is an essential component of professional care and maintenance. Promoting good safety practices cuts down on accidents and increases employee well-being in the workplace.

How textile rental can protect you

In many sectors, workwear and textiles are subject to complex local and international legislation which is constantly evolving.

A textile services company can supply reusable protective clothing and hygienic textiles for such situations which are fully compliant with these standards and legislation.

Wearing appropriate workwear which is properly laundered and replaced at the right time in its life cycle ensures optimum worker safety.

In the food sector, this ensures safety and hygiene. Using such reusable workwear and textiles will help to ensure that the company's responsibility for the safety of its workers is fully met.

Hygiene is vital to protect the vulnerable

Vulnerable people, such as the sick and the elderly, are the most at risk of infection through contamination. The risk of contamination in the catering industry from bacteria in food can affect the whole population, not just those who are vulnerable. The reassurance that textile services can deliver by using quality management systems, such as RABC, means we provide a reliable, hygienic and safe service for textiles during their full lifetime. Our industry provides guaranteed hygiene with high corporate responsibility, thanks to our professional facilities, our processes and our quality management systems. These services cannot be matched by washing at home.

Why textile rental is better for the environment

ETSA member companies are committed to caring about the environment. By their very nature, textile services provide a more sustainable alternative to disposables, washing at home and textile ownership.

ETSA member companies are also all committed to a coherent environmental programme. This programme is aligned with the 10 environmental principles in the United Nations Global Compact. ETSA is committed to:

1. Long life cycle of textiles
2. Supply chain responsibility
3. Low water and energy consumption
4. Environmentally-friendly detergents, packaging materials and delivery/transport
5. Proactive waste management.

Why textile rental has a lower carbon footprint

It is recognised that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are the main agent behind changes in the earth's climate. As a responsible industry committed to a sustainable future, we believe in maintaining a low carbon footprint.

Working together in our trade association ETSA, leading textile service companies in Europe have developed a common methodology to assess the average carbon footprint of our services. 

How to choose the right workwear and protective clothing

Employers and purchasers can find guidance on how to buy and maintain workwear garments by referring to 'SUCAM' (the official Selection, Use, Care And Maintenance guidelines) Read More