PCIAW announces partnership with Textile Services Association

The Professional Clothing Industry Association Worldwide has now partnered with partnership with the Textiles Services Association (TSA, to provide members of both organisations with end-to-end support across the apparel manufacturers, distributers, and laundry industries.

The professional clothing industry has witnessed an exponential growth in single-use personal protective equipment (PPE) throughout the pandemic. For example, isolation gowns designed for single use was shown not to be a cost-effective solution and is detrimental to the textile industry’s sustainability goals.

David Stevens, CEO of the Textiles Services Association, said: “TSA are proud to partner with PCIAW. We have been lobbying the UK government for the last nine months to incorporate reusable isolation gowns into their official PPE strategy. The Department of Health and Social Care have finally paid recognition to the idea of reusable gowns in the Personal Protective Equipment Strategy released in October, giving the industry and environment hope.”

Both the PCIAW and TSA agree upon reusable isolation gowns being the way forward and that the economic and environmental cases are both strong. The TSA advises that reusable isolation gowns can be laundered up to 75 times while the DHSC admits the cost difference between single-use and reusable are modest. If the unit price difference is modest but the reusable isolation gowns last up to 74 more times, the preferred choice should be clear.

Yvette Ashby, CEO of PCIAW, added: “Sustainability lies at the heart of the professional clothing industry and in order to reach our carbon footprint targets by 2050, we must do everything we can to ensure that happens. As we all know, the textile industry is the second largest polluter after aviation.”

The PCIAW is a firm believer in business collaboration and when the expertise is shared for a common goal, the end results are of a higher quality. While the TSA lobbies the government to make the case for reusable isolation gowns, the products need to be manufactured to a high standard using the optimal materials and the correct stitching if the isolation gowns are going to withstand the expected 75 wash lifespan. This is the reason that the PCIAW has partnered with TSA.