In trials conducted by the University team, it has been demonstrated that a state-of the-art ‘sanitisation chamber’ effectively kills a vast range of germs and viruses, such as E. coli, S. aureus and coronavirus, which can otherwise linger on clothing and fashion accessories.
The sanitisation chamber is now being trialled on PPE, making it safe to reuse, which could significantly reduce environmental waste from PPE products.
Researcher Dr Mohammed Yaseen said: “This revolutionary technology has real potential to disrupt the fashion and textile industry and offers huge environmental benefits, which could see a significant reduction in landfill waste from clothing.”
Currently, about 40 per cent of clothing purchased online is returned, with less than half of it being resold and the remainder ending up at landfill sites or being burned. Through extending the lifetime of a garment by three months, its carbon footprint is reduced by 10 per cent and a pre-owned...