» Association strengthens push for chemical filtration in PPE
Advocacy efforts by the Textile Rental Services Association continue to bolster the drive toward greater use of reusable personal protective equipment. The association also is actively working to enhance access to federal funding for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, pretreatment of healthcare garments.
Some types of PFAS — chemicals found in an array of consumer and industrial products — have been linked by researchers and government agencies to adverse health conditions. This linkage has prompted concerns, including federal standards issued on April 10, that targeted their presence in drinking water.
TRSA representatives have said that mandates calling for the removal of PFAS from wastewater will result in onerous PFAS-discharge limits to sewers nationwide. Fabric manufacturers are finding PFAS substitutes for garments that now use PFAS to provide barrier properties (in infection control and fluid resistance, for example).
TRSA has asked Congress to support increasing the operating threshold of reusable textile PPE to a minimum of 50% of healthcare facilities’ inventory. Reusables comprise an estimated 10% of the US market. Increasing that figure, TRSA said, would improve environmental protection, save money, enhance supply chain security and help safeguard employee and resident and patient safety.
» Vestis has sluggish start after spin-off
Vestis, a provider of uniforms, healthcare scrubs and gowns for residents and patients, in May announced that its second-quarter 2024 earnings had missed previous expectations.
The company lowered its 2024 fiscal guidance, just months after completing a 2023 spin-off from food service and facilities services provider Aramark.
Still, Vestis President and CEO Kim Scott said that the quarterly results demonstrated the power of the company’s model and the “underlying health of the business, as evidenced by the strong and improving cash flow generation despite the revenue shortfall.”
Vestis, she said, is focused on logistics optimization and customer penetration through cross-selling on its current routes.
