Upcycling plastic waste for the health service

Linda Ball, founder and CEO of Upcycled Medical explains how the company is fighting plastic waste with their products

How did Upcycled Medical come about? What problem are you trying to address?

Upcycled Medical started in 2019, and our mission is to end the problem of plastic pollution. Our oceans are filling up with plastic waste - over 14 million tons of plastic waste are dumped into our oceans every year, killing wildlife and leaching dangerous chemicals into the water. By collecting plastic waste and reusing it, upcycling it into sustainable and eco-friendly clothing, we can reduce the amount of plastic filling up the oceans and reduce the need for new plastic to be created at the same time. We aim to change the manufacturing industry for the better and inspire other businesses and organisations to follow in our footsteps by embracing more sustainable practices.

What does Upcycled Medical do? Can you explain the process?

Put simply, we turn plastic waste into fabric, which we then make into products for the medical and healthcare industry, including medical gowns, scrubs, coats, and even curtains and bedsheets. To collect plastic, we teamed up with the SeaQual Initiative and their network of partners - through an agreement endorsed by the Spanish government, they’ve incentivised fishermen to trawl the oceans and bring back plastic waste. We also collect plastic waste from our partners - this is all sorted and pelletised before being upcycled into polyester yarn, which we weave into textiles. All of this plastic would have otherwise ended up in landfills, but we ensure it’s given new life - around seven or nine plastic bottles go into each piece of medical clothing that we make. We don’t just collect plastic. We’ve teamed with ocean clean-up programs and plastic waste collectors to clean up plastic, metal, rubber, glass, wood, and other materials - for every kilogram of yarn that Upcycled Medical produce, we estimate that we’ve collected between 600 grams and 1 kilogram of marine litter from our oceans.

What is the difference between what Upcycled Medical does and other recycled products?

Most medical scrubs used by the NHS are made using plastic made in Saudi Arabia, which is then shipped to China to be turned into scrubs shipped to the UK. This process wastes fossil fuels, water, and energy - and we’ve made it our aim to change that. Unlike other companies, we make our products in the UK from recycled material - and the finished products are completely recyclable, too. Upcycled Medical has the lowest verifiable carbon footprint in the world. Our zero-waste production process reduces CO2 emissions by 34 per cent, water usage by 34 per cent, and energy consumption by 39 per cent.

What happens to the clothes at the end of their life? Can they be recycled again?

Every single Upcycled Medical piece is designed and manufactured with both sustainability and longevity in mind. Healthcare workers spend countless hours carrying out their important work across various hospitals, clinics, and dispensaries. It is crucial that the clothing they wear is comfortable, durable and can be worn over long periods of time - and that those items can be re-worn and used again and again, for as long as possible. It’s also crucial that when an item of clothing reaches the end of its life, it’s not simply thrown away, to end up in a landfill - and when an item of Upcycled Medical clothing reaches the end of its life, it can be recycled and upcycled into a brand new item of clothing. Production begins with treating and cleaning the ocean waste used to create the yarn we make our clothing from, ensuring it can be recycled over and over again. The collected waste is then transformed into flakes and pellets, which are subsequently sent to our factory in Spain. At the factory, the pellets are bound together to create high-quality yarn, forming the basis of our recycled clothing. Waste plastic - including discarded clothing - is collected from our clients, including Bupa, and then sorted and transformed into pellets, flakes, and chips so that they can be upcycled all over again.

What are Upcycled Medical’s goals and plans for the future?

Upcycled Medical is committed to our mission of ending plastic pollution. There’s an urgent need to address the irreparable damage caused by waste plastic pollution, and we aim to amplify our voice to raise awareness worldwide.

We want to educate and inspire the public to create change and learn new behaviours that are kinder to our earth. To do this, we plan to foster collaborations and partnerships with social groups, charitable organisations, and waste collection initiatives globally. By joining forces with like-minded entities, we can leverage our collective efforts, share knowledge, and maximise our impact on a global scale.

There are endless possibilities for what we can create from upcycled plastics. Our hope is that we will never need to create anything from new plastics and that we can prevent the inevitable build-up of these harmful plastics in our oceans and landfills around the world. We can create a collective movement that fosters a sustainable future and actively works towards the elimination of plastic pollution. L upcycledmedical.com

LindaBallisavisionary entrepreneurandenvironmental advocate dedicated to revolutionisingthewaywe approachrecyclingand sustainability.AstheFounder andCEOofUpcycledMedical, Lindaisleadingatransformative movementinthemedicalindustrybyproviding eco-friendlyscrubsthatcombinestyle,comfort,and environmentalresponsibility.Drivenbyherpassion foracleanerandhealthierplanet,Linda’sdreamis tocreateatechnologythatenablestheproduction ofrecycledproductswithoutcompromisingon qualityoraddingharmfultoxinstotheenvironment. Throughherinnovativeapproach,Lindaaims tochangethefaceofmanufacturingandinspire otherindustriestoembracesustainablepractices. UpcycledMedicalsuppliesthemedicalindustrywith stylish,eco-friendlyscrubs,whileADifferentBall Gamefocusesonupcycledfootballkitsthatcombine sustainabilityandperformance.Additionally,Linda establishedUpcycledCorporateClothing,abrand dedicatedtotransformingdiscardedmaterialsinto environmentallyfriendlyattireforcompanies. Recognisingtheurgentneedtoaddressplastic waste,LindafoundedUpcycledPlastics,acompany specialisingindesigningandmanufacturingbins thatfacilitatetheproperrecyclingofdifferent plastics,ensuringtheyarerepurposedformultiple applications.ShealsodevelopedUpcyclingWarriors, anengaginggamethateducatesplayersaboutthe importanceofresponsiblewastemanagement. Bygamifyingrecycling,sheaimstoinspireanew generationtobecomeenvironmentalstewardsand makeapositiveimpactontheplanet.

Inherquesttoinspirewidespreadadoptionof upcyclingpractices,LindacreatedSupraCycling,an onlineplatformthatservesasavaluableresource hubforindividualsandbusinessesseekingto embracesustainablelivingandproductionmethods. CentraltoLinda’srevolutionaryinitiativesisFather Alterin,agroundbreakingtechnologythatpowersall hercompanies.Thisinnovativesolutioncombines cutting-edgeengineeringandadvancedmaterials science to transform waste into valuable resources, makingrecyclingmoreefficientandsustainablethan ever before.

LindaBall’sunwaveringcommitmentto sustainabilityandherpioneeringspirithave positionedherasatrailblazerinupcyclingand environmentaladvocacy.Throughhervisionary leadership,Lindaisactivelyreshapingindustries, onerecycledproductatatime,andpavingthe wayforamoresustainableandenvironmentally conscious world.