Study Findings Support UK Manufacturing

Research conducted at Brighton & Sussex Medical School and recently published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine concludes that the environmental impact of PPE could be significantly reduced through measures that include domestic manufacture.

Some of the key points that we identified from the study are:

Domestic manufacture versus importation of PPE can reduce the carbon footprint of PPE by 12%. This equates to 12,492 tonnes of CO2e over the 6 months of the study in England.

Of this 12% saving, only 2.4% comes from the reduction in overseas travel.

• 9.3% of the saving comes from the use of UK electricity which has a higher proportion of renewables compared to the countries it would have been imported from.
• Stockpiling of PPE will mitigate the need to urgently air freight products into the UK which increases the carbon footprint by 50%.
• The study findings are great advocacy for British manufacturing and UK businesses such as PFF Health who have diversified to manufacture PPE for use by frontline workers, following the onset of the pandemic.

Mark Foulger, Commercial Director for PFF Health said: “The study findings reinforce Keighley & Ilkley MP Robbie Moore’s call to the Minister for the Cabinet Office Michael Gove MP, to make sure the government backs British as much as possible.”

The pandemic has caused a dramatic shockwave across global economies. It has driven home the importance of in-country, economically viable and sustainable manufacturing processes. The advantages of UK PPE manufacture are many; more environmentally friendly as well as creating jobs and prosperity for the UK economy.

Earlier this year, we continued building on PFF Health’s capacity with ultra-fast UK designed and built PPE apron machines. PFF Health has also joined the Made in Britain campaign which is an important step for our business as well as for investing in the UK economy and generating employment.

You can read the published study in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.  The study findings have also been featured in the Guardian.