JLA’s new white paper on healthcare laundry and IPC standards explains how NHS estates can make reusable textiles work safely

With net zero targets and tight budgets to balance, reusable textiles offer FMs looking after NHS estates a proven way to cut waste and better control costs. But with IPC compliance and good patient outcomes top of the agenda, reuse can only be viable when laundry systems are safe and validated.

To support FMs looking to make the switch, JLA has published a new white paper: Healthcare laundry and IPC standards: making reusable textiles work safely. Drawing on expert insight and independent studies, it demonstrates how professional laundry systems, backed by digital monitoring and staff training, can help NHS sites make progress without compromising care.

Insights include:

The power of reusables

Evidence shows that replacing single-use surgical gowns with reusable versions can deliver up to an 84 per cent reduction in solid waste, a 66 per cent reduction in emissions and, according to one NHS case study, a 45 per cent cost saving overall. Yet the white paper also explains how, in 2024, only 30 per cent of NHS trusts were using reusable surgical gowns, highlighting how FMs could lead real change by investing in professional laundry systems.

Safer laundry standards

Safe textiles reuse depends on consistency, so the white paper looks at evidence on antimicrobial resistance and the limitations of domestic washing machines in healthcare settings. It also explains how, for many NHS settings, the right laundry model is key, with in-house or hybrid approaches offering FMs and estates teams more control over the processing of key items including uniforms, mops and cloths.

Data, compliance and sustainability

Alongside sustainability, data reporting is becoming increasingly important to compliance. The white paper discusses the ways digital machine monitoring systems are helping FMs understand how equipment is being used to support decision making right across an estate, as well as where potential savings can be made.

The paper also offers practical actions to help more trusts switch to reusables, and soon. These include arguments for mandating HTM 01-04 compliance, phasing out inefficient domestic laundry machines, and investing in digital monitoring and best-practice staff training.