ETSA comment on Ambiente Italia report on benefits of reusable linen versus disposables

24 March 2022



A report from Ambiente Italia and important follow-up data gathering undertaken by Assostima and Ambienete Italia - was presented at Ecomundo and heavily underscores the environmental advantages of reusable textiles. The news was analysed by Elena Lai at ETSA (the European Association for Textile Services) and reported on the Association’s news web page.


The Ambiente Italia report which compared fabric and disposable tablecloths for the restaurant/hotel sector in the imprtant tourist destination of Florence, opened up important points for debate internationally as the gradual recovery of the tourism sector throughout 2021 in France, Italy, Spain and Portugal continues continues as we come out of the pandemic, said Lai.

“Regulations set in place regarding the reopening of tourist activities so as to maximise total safety were the basis for the monitoring and analysis we conducted at ETSA and our members have a keen interest with respect to the industrial washing of fabrics which are well identified in the results of the Ambiente Italia Report,”commented Lai.

For ETSA there is no doubt: From the roll cloth towels for lockers, the tablecloths for restaurants or the sheets for hotels and hospitals, if reusable - and are being reprocessed according to EN 14065 (the standard that shows that a laundry service has a in place to control microbiological contamination in washed fabrics) - are considered hygienically top-notch and consequently, safe for the consumer. As also indicated in the Environment Italy report, the use of reusables also translates into significant savings on resources (water / electricity), with a net decrease in CO2 emissions when compared to disposable fabrics.

ETSA and its member companies are currently engaged in a Working Group on the subject of the environment to determine the measurement of CO2 quantities (from now to 2030) and the circular model at the basis of textile services. This is done with the goal of providing a more sustainable approach to consumption. The advantages of the circular economy on textile applications mainly concern the durability of products and the optimisation of processes, selling “the use of the product” rather than “the product itself”.

For example, about 3000 reusable tissue napkins are needed compared to 102000 disposable paper for the same service (hypothesis of 2000 seats/month for a four-year service) - this clearly shows a divergence in the environmental impact (amount of waste), when compared to disposables.

During the summer of 2021, these same principles were the basis of fundamental references for some guidelines defined at European level in which ETSA actively participated, including CWA 5643 Part 1 Tourism and related services - Requirements and guidelines to reduce the spread of Covid-19 in the tourism sector (ISO PAS 5643) where fabric tablecloths and roll towels have proven to be contamination-proof and therefore highly recommended in the guidelines by the European Commission.

In its role as European Climate Ambassador, declared by the European Commission in July 2021, ETSA has set the goal of supporting the circular economy and the development of these services, favoring a reduction in the consumption of resources and supporting consumer behavioral changes. This objective obviously includes promoting the use of reusable products.

“Reusable products, which are mostly maintained locally, also support local economic development, which is an additional incentive for ETSA and ETSA members who not only represent large-scale companies but also represent smaller, locally based businesses.

“Small and medium-sized enterprises that work with the hotel and tourism sector as such should not be underestimated by the government and European institutions, which is something we at ETSA have been fighting for,” said Lai.



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