Climate effects of single use gowns in Swedish healthcare - a life cycle assessment study
Want to make healthcare more sustainable? Join a project assessing the climate impact of single-use gowns in Swedish healthcare using life cycle assessment (LCA). Work with experienced researchers and contribute to real change.
Client
| Anesthesia and intensive care is a medical speciality caring for the critically ill as well as for patients requiring surgery. The speciality is one of the cornerstones of modern health care. The project is initiated by the Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care at Helsingborg Hospital. The unit which has very strong clinical research program with a focus on cardiac arrest, sepsis and sustainability. |
Background
| Swedish healthcare regulations require healthcare personnel to use non-sterile gowns when working close to patients when there is a risk for contact with for example biological fluids or skin fragments1. The rationale for these regulations is to avoid healthcare related infections but the evidence supporting this practice are either missing or of poor scientific quality2. Despite this there has been a drive to enforce the regulation by the National Board of Heath and Wellfare in recent years. Recent data showing that single use gowns were the major contributor to the climate impact from single use gowns in an intensive care unit in southern Sweden indicates that the associated climate impact may not be negligible on a regional or national level (Hemberg et al., 2025). |
Task
The objectives of this thesis is to estimate the annual climate effect from use of single use gowns in Sweden and to assess mitigations strategies aiming to reduce the climate impact of single use gown in Sweden.
For this purpose, procurement data and manufacturing data for relevant gowns will be requested from regional healthcare authorities in Sweden and from providers of such gowns. The associated climate and environmental impact will then be calculated using life cycle assessments (LCA). For this purpose, we will use the SimaPro software and the ecoinvent database to calculate associated impact from cradle to grave. Furthermore, environmental effects of potential mitigation strategies such as use of reusable gowns will be assessed using a similar methodology. The applicant will work with a group with extensive experience in LCA analysis with all necessary software at hand.
This will be the first assessment of the national climate footprint from use of single use gowns in Sweden. We expect that the climate footprint is substantial. If so, this would highlight an important area for mitigation efforts.
Final delimitations are discussed with your supervisor.
Related SDGs
