Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1526238
10 Executive Briefing 1 EXECUTIVE BRIEFING Enhancing sustainability and efficiency: How hospitals are reducing single-use plastics + driving innovation with 100% plastic-free disinfectant wipes F rom blood pressure cuffs to surgical instruments to personal protective equipment (PPE), single-use plastics are pervasive in healthcare and contribute to a significant amount of waste daily. Disinfectant wipes are an often-overlooked factor in this problem. A little-known fact, most ready-to-use disinfectant wipes used in U.S. healthcare facilities are made of plastic 1 . They are distributed in plastic canisters and the wipes themselves are made of plastic. Contrary to popular belief, the majority of plastic waste generated from these wipes comes from the wipes themselves, not the canister 2 . This means that both the wipes and the canister are contributing to plastic waste challenges, taking hundreds of years to degrade in landfills. To learn about a new and innovative, plastic-free disinfectant wipe, that can help to improve both the sustainability and operational efficiency of hospitals and health systems, Becker's Healthcare recently spoke with three experts from Ecolab: • Greg Peelman, SVP and GM, Healthcare Infection Prevention North America, Global Wipes and Hand Care • Jonathan Fast, PhD, Senior Staff Scientist, Healthcare Infection Prevention North America • Karoline Sperling, Clinical Services Manager, Healthcare Infection Prevention North America Growing interest in sustainability calls for an alternative to disinfectant wipes — the 'epitome of a single-use plastic' Disinfectant wipes are found everywhere throughout healthcare settings, from hospitals and clinics to nursing homes and home care. Staff use these wipes to clean medical equipment, disinfect operating rooms between cases, clean public areas and much more. "These wipes are the epitome of a single-use plastic," Dr. Fast said. "You wipe a surface for five or ten seconds and then throw it away. We've calculated that the disinfectant wipes used in North American healthcare facilities in one year would wrap around the globe 58 times 1 ." An alternative to plastic disinfectant wipes is needed, especially as healthcare industry awareness around sustainability is growing, and many hospitals and health systems are pursuing green initiatives. "There's a ton of waste in hospitals," Ms. Sperling said. "Hospital leaders and the front lines are hungry for healthcare to be more sustainable." For example, major health systems are creating leadership roles to advance sustainability projects (think: recycling initiatives, diverting food waste and removing certain anesthetic gasses) and installing solar panels. The Joint Commission has created a Sustainable Healthcare Certification, and Practice Greenhealth bestows a range of awards to facilities that have embraced sustainable practices. Healthcare organizations that embrace such practices can not only see cost savings and improved operational efficiencies, but they also experience increased trust and loyalty among patients, staff and the community. "Strong sustainability practices can help healthcare organizations attract and retain top talent, comply with changing environmental regulations and foster innovation and research collaborations," Mr. Peelman said. Ecolab is the first company to offer innovative, 100% plastic free 3 disinfectant wipes, complete with one minute hospital disinfection, for healthcare Ecolab has developed the first Environmental Protection Agency- registered wipe with one-minute hospital disinfection, made with a substrate derived 100% from wood pulp fibers. The wipe substrate is 100% plastic-free and readily degradable. "What makes a hospital disinfectant wipe different from a consumer wipe is the number of organisms that it kills, as well as the lower contact times and effective cleaning capability needed for a hospital environment," Dr. Fast said. "The innovation with Ecolab's new product is bringing a wipe substrate, derived 100% from wood- pulp fibers, together with broad spectrum hospital disinfection. Those elements hadn't previously come together in the US hospital market." When it comes to hospital disinfectant wipes, factors like kill claims and contact time are especially important. Organizations need to consider whether a wipe will kill the pathogens of interest, based on emerging diseases and local epidemiology. Antibiotic- resistant bacteria are particularly important to many hospitals and health systems. "Ecolab's readily degradable disinfectant wipe uses an EPA- registered disinfectant with broad spectrum kill claims against 40+ organisms and emerging pathogens 6 , and provides healthcare workers with the opportunity to help mitigate the risk of hospital- acquired infections." Ms. Sperling said. Contact time refers to how long a surface must remain wet to kill the pathogens of interest. Some disinfectants require longer contact times than others; the contact time for Ecolab's new readily degradable wipe is one minute, with some claims taking as little time as 30-seconds (for SARS-CoV-2 for example). " In healthcare, long contact times are not practical and it is critical for a surface to remain wet for the recommended contact time, in order to ensure efficacy," Ms. Sperling said.