In my younger years, my mum would gather our old clothes and exchange them for plastics. The quality and quantity of the clothes determined the type or size of plastic items the collector would give in return. That practice left me wondering what the collectors did with those clothes. Today, many homes still keep sacks of old clothes without knowing what to do with them. Some consider them unfit to give out, while others see their clothes as too personal or sacred to exchange with strangers. Meanwhile, old clothes and fabric waste are often seen littered across streets and expressways, raising questions about ownership and disposal.
The matter of sustainability is gaining more attention today because of the significant role it plays in our wellbeing and health. But critical questions remain: What happens to the textile materials used in our hospitals, homes, clinics, and public places after use? what about the fabric pieces cut off in fashion houses while making garments – do they get recycled, or do they eventually contribute to pollution, affecting generations to come and worsening global warming?
Medical disposables raise even more concern. Bandages, plasters, sanitary pads – where do they go after use? Who is responsible for their disposal? Sadly, some are flushed down toilets or dumped carelessly, creating both environmental and health hazards. Even when properly disposed of, many end up in landfills. But what happens next? Are they recycled?
The truth is that textile waste, including medical textiles, can be turned into wealth. Take PET bottles for example. Once considered trash, they are now highly valued. People pick them from parties, streets, and even collection points, selling them to polymer companies. These companies recycle them into new, useful products. I once visited a polymer company and saw firsthand how much value is generated from what was once waste. The same principle can apply to textiles.
From the very start of production, sustainability must be part of the plan: from raw material choices, to production processes, to usage, and finally, to disposal. Every step must “think sustainability.” The world at large is shifting towards sustainable practices, and textiles cannot be left behind. If not, the consequences will be dire in the next few decades.
Fast fashion and its medical twin
In fashion, fast fashion means cheap, mass-produced, low-quality, trend-driven clothing made quickly and discarded just as quickly.
The same idea can be linked to “fast fashion medical textiles”, products which are produced rapidly, used briefly, and discarded in huge quantities without sustainability in view. They follow the “produce fast – use once – discard” model. During the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, the world used 129 billion disposable face masks per month (UNEP, 2020). Most of these were made from non-biodegradable polypropylene. Like fast fashion garments, they sacrifice sustainability for speed and cost.
Fast fashion characteristics found in medical textiles include:
Mass production: Items like face masks, PPE, disposable gowns, shoe covers, sanitary pads, bandages, and surgical drapes are produced at extremely large quantities.
Low-cost materials: Most are made from synthetic, petroleum-based fibers (polypropylene, polyester, polyethylene) because they are cheap, lightweight, and easily disposable.
Short life span: They are designed for single use or very short use.
Waste generation: Just like fast fashion clothes, they end up in landfills, burned, or improperly disposed of.
The sustainability problem
Microplastics: Discarded masks and gowns shed microfibres that contaminate water and soil.
Carbon footprint: The manufacture of single-use medical textiles contributes to greenhouse-gas emissions.
Healthcare burden: Hospitals produce roughly 20–30 per cent of their waste from disposable medical textiles (WHO, 2018).
Moving towards “slow fashion” in medical textiles
The solution is not to stop using medical textiles but to make them sustainable. Possible steps include:
The use of biodegradable fibres such as bamboo, banana fibre, cotton blends, lyocell, alginate and chitosan instead of petroleum-based plastics.
Develop reusable medical textiles — washable gowns, drapes and pads that can be sterilised safely and reused.
Build circular systems for collecting, recycling and reprocessing used medical textiles into new products.
Encourage second-hand clothing (Okrika). Many shy away from it, yet it reduces textile waste, conserves resources and extends garment lifespans.
I strongly believe textile waste can become wealth, as PET did, but that will not happen by chance. It requires awareness, innovation and systems that reward recycling and responsible disposal. The healthcare sector – a major user of disposables – must lead this conversation. Medical textiles touch people’s lives every day; how we handle them will affect both public health and our environment for generations to come.
