Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important consideration across healthcare, but infection prevention remains fundamental to safe and effective care. At Uniwipe, we aim to find the right balance by developing products that support high standards of infection prevention while taking practical steps to reduce our environmental impact.
We consider sustainability throughout our product journey, from the materials we use and how we manufacture our products to packaging, energy consumption and waste. At the same time, we recognise that clinical environments demand products that deliver consistent performance, reliability and efficacy.
This remains an ongoing process, and we continue to look for opportunities to improve.
Sustainability and infection prevention working together
Effective infection prevention relies on consistent and thorough cleaning and disinfection. Products need to perform reliably and deliver the efficacy required for their intended application. This principle sits at the heart of our approach at Uniwipe. We develop professional cleaning and disinfection wipes for healthcare, facilities management and other environments where hygiene plays an essential role.
For us, sustainability does not mean compromising performance. Instead, we look for new ways to improve environmental considerations while continuing to develop the highly effective products we’re known for.
Innovation with purpose
Innovation is an important part of how we approach both infection prevention and sustainability. From product design onwards, we look at how we can use materials more efficiently, reduce waste and develop alternatives where they can provide a genuine benefit.
Our Bio Clinical range demonstrates how this approach can translate into product innovation. In a big step on our sustainability journey, we’ve developed a fabric that is made from plastic-free, plant-based fibres, which also retains extremely high effectiveness against bacteria and viruses.
Combining top-level antibacterial testing with excellent biodegradable properties, these wipes are the perfect tool for cross-contamination avoidance and infection prevention, whilst remaining sustainably friendly. Tested to EN 14476 and EN 16615, they effectively eliminate bacteria, enveloped viruses, and yeast, and are safe on all surfaces for versatile use across many environments.
Reducing plastic where possible
Our sustainability efforts extend beyond product materials. We are also looking at how we can reduce plastic across our packaging and supply chain. Our production and packaging methods currently use up to 76% less plastic than commonly used tubs, and we continue to work towards further reductions.
UK manufacturing and continuous improvement
We produce all our products at our UK manufacturing facility, which gives us greater control over production, energy use and waste management. This allows us to regularly review our processes and identify opportunities to improve efficiency. Our factory operates with a focus on minimising energy use, and we work with carefully selected suppliers who support our approach.
Being able to manage manufacturing in-house also means we can respond quickly when opportunities for improvement are identified. Sustainability is therefore built into our ongoing manufacturing decisions rather than considered separately from them.
Giving Back to the Planet
As a UK manufacturer, we have achieved a top 15% EcoVadis score and accreditation. EcoVadis is a globally recognised sustainability ratings platform that assesses businesses across environment, labour and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. This recognition reflects how we continue to improve sustainability across our UK manufacturing operations and wider supply chain.
Alongside this, we partner with MoreTrees to plant thousands of trees across Kenya, Madagascar, and Haiti, helping to support much‑needed communities while offsetting hundreds of tonnes of carbon each year. This work supports our focus on reducing emissions, cutting waste, and improving efficiency across our UK manufacturing processes.
Supporting the future of healthcare
The healthcare sector continues to evolve, and sustainability now forms an increasingly important consideration for organisations across the NHS and wider care environment. The NHS has set ambitious net zero targets, creating an important role for suppliers to consider how products, manufacturing and supply chains can contribute to these wider goals.
At Uniwipe, we continue to explore how we can support these priorities while maintaining our focus on effective infection prevention. Healthcare professionals need products that work, and cleaning and disinfection cannot compromise on performance, particularly in environments where infection risk remains high.
Our approach focuses on identifying where we can make meaningful sustainability improvements while continuing to deliver highly effective products.
Finding the right balance
For us, sustainability and infection prevention do not represent opposing priorities. We aim to provide highly effective products that support infection prevention while finding practical and meaningful ways to reduce environmental impact.
From our UK manufacturing facility to product development, packaging and waste reduction, we continue to improve how we operate. We will keep exploring new solutions, alternative materials and more efficient processes while maintaining product efficacy and infection prevention at the heart of what we do.
Finding the right balance means continuing to develop highly effective infection prevention solutions while considering the future of the environments in which they are used.
