Sustainability, stitched in

The problem (today): Across the UK, reusable gowns with tie-tabs fail at high rates-around 10% are broken yet still enter the laundry loop each week. That means wasted washes, wasted water, wasted heat, and zero patient value. More broadly, the NHS faces huge textile losses: industry data suggest the service loses over 80% of its linen annually, a drain on money and carbon targets. (TSA)

TONIC’s fix (tomorrow): Our zero-tie design means zero (next-to-zero) breakages in daily use. Fewer failures = fewer pointless washes, lower energy and water use, and more gowns actually available for care. Each TONIC gown is built for 70 wash cycles, so one garment delivers reliable service again and again-without the weak points that send legacy gowns to the washer (and sometimes the bin) before they’re even worn.

(PubMed, PMC)

Materials matter: We specify 100% natural fabrics (no 50/50 poly-cotton) and low-impact dyes to reduce microplastic shedding and chemical load while improving wearer comfort.

Less waste, fewer wasted washes

Breakage to near-zero: No ties = no tie failures. That stops the current pattern where ~10% “broken” gowns are still washed every cycle, consuming water/heat/chemicals with no patient benefit.

Right-first-time wear: Durable construction means gowns come back from laundry ready to wear, reducing top-ups, emergency disposables, and last-minute waste.

Systemic waste pressure: With textiles a major waste stream (e.g. tens of thousands of tonnes of clinical gown waste per year in UK systems during high-use periods), shifting to reliable reusables directly reduces incineration volumes and cost. (TSA)

Carbon reductions that matter

Short-term goal: 100,000 TONIC gowns in circulation.

Lifetime wears: 100,000 × 70 washes = 7 million safe, reusable wears (displacing up to 7 million disposables).

Roughly 6,000 tonnes-about the same as removing approx 1,300 passenger cars from the road for a year.

Attendance is a climate issue, too

Sustainability isn’t just fabrics-it’s fewer no-shows. TONIC’s dignity-first design helps reduce missed appointments (often by 5–10% in women’s pathways). When people attend first time, the carbon from travel, heat, light, and room prep isn’t wasted on empty slots, and clinical capacity improves. Patient and staff travel alone account for a meaningful share of NHS emissions, so higher show-rates are a quiet climate win as well as a care win. (bsds.org.uk)

That’s the same as planting 1,500 trees.

In short

  • Zero-tie = near-zero breakages → less wasted washing, water, and heat.
  • 70-wash durability with 100% natural fabrics and low-impact dyes.
  • Higher attendance means fewer wasted clinic emissions.

Aligned with NHS Net Zero standards and UK reusable-textile evidence.

(noecpc.nhs.uk, supplychain.nhs.uk)

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    A gift is more than something given, it is a gesture of compassion. Designed to comfort patients during treatment and beyond. Each piece is created with thought and purpose, offering not only practicality but also beauty, reassurance, and a quiet sense of hope.