AmorSui Launches First Zero Waste PPE Solution on Earth Day

While disposable PPE has a significant negative impact on the environment and the bottom line for the health care industry, in the US alone, hospitals produce nearly 36 million tons of garbage each year! Globally, over 200 million tons of medical PPE ends up in the ocean daily as litter, causing immediate danger to marine life, and long-term plastic pollution that damages food supplies. The biggest source of this waste comes from disposable gowns. Health tech company AmorSui offers an innovative approach to make safety more sustainable, with washable medical gowns whose life cycle and environmental impact can be tracked using mobile and desktop applications. In recognition of Earth Day, the company’s founder Beau Wangtrakuldee is announcing the launch of the first zero-waste gowns solution for hospitals and clinics that will help them move towards environmental sustainability.

The US health care system relies heavily on increasing use of disposable gowns, which account for more than 65% of all hospital gowns used in 2020. To switch to reusable gowns, hospitals and clinics are required to inspect for wear and tear before each laundering and establish a way to track the number of times a gown is used to ensure proper end-of-life disposal. These processes are complex and labor-intensive, which cause many to opt for more wasteful disposable options instead.

AmorSui launched in 2018 as a company providing “protective wear” apparel for women scientists that was more thanfashionable, but also chemical resistant, fire resistant and antimicrobial. The idea for AmorSui stemmed from a chemical spill that happened in the lab when Wangtrakuldee was working on anti-cancer drugs and liquid soaked through her lab coat, burning her leg. Realizing there was nothing available in women’s sizes that fit properly, Wangtrakuldee decided to create her own solution and teamed up with a group of female scientists and fashion designer to launch clothing designs for women that could be worn with and without a lab coat, yet still provided protection all on their own.

When the pandemic hit, Wangtrakuldee immediately saw a need to support men and women on the front lines as well as society at large, and she also saw a big opportunity to address an even greater gap in the US PPE industry: an integrated solution supporting more sustainable PPE options while leveraging domestic supply chains. AmorSui began developing a line of medical gowns (level 1-4) named Rebecca Crumpler, sourced and manufactured 100% in the US, and created functionality in its medical gowns to work with its management mobile app and data dashboard to track number of washes, and provide usage analytics and environmental reports in real time.

“What we learned is that management of reusable PPE is complex and labor-intensive, which is why few hospitals are implementing these reusable methods,” Wangtrakuldee added. “First, the quality of products has to be robust enough to withstand multiple washes. Systematic tracking must also be available to make it simple to monitor the life cycle of these garments and know when to reorder reusable products again. Our comprehensive, cost-saving and sustainable PPE solution can save hospitals and clinics in the long run.

The Rebecca Crumpler Medical Gown, named after the first African American woman physician in the US who dedicated her life to treating women and children, is available in 4 levels engineered to be washed up to 150 times depending on the gown level. They are size-inclusive, offering XS-XL compared to the typical one-size-fits-all nature of disposable surgical gowns. Gowns are made of 100% eco-friendly fabrics and processes that emit no toxic waste or harmful chemicals to the environment and are tested to provide protection against bodily fluid and bloodborne pathogen exposure. The cuff is made using a soft and moisture-wicking knit to provide flexibility and cooling while on the go. All components of this gown are also tested to be safe against skin and cause no allergies. For gowns to be used properly, AmorSui’s PPE management app offers training modules for staff to ensure proper use, wash tracking and repair services as well as usage analytics, reorder notifications, and two-step ordering.

AmorSui’s mission is to make safety accessible for all without sacrificing the environment. All items in AmorSui’s collection are named after renowned women scientists and manufactured in the U.S.A in women-owned factories in Brooklyn, NY and Allentown, PA. Interested hospitals and clinics may apply to participate in the AmorSui customer partner program to gain early access to these offerings by visiting https://www.amorsui.com/resources/partner. For more information about AmorSui please visit www.AmorSui.com.