PPE manufacturer Magid is making a significant change to its manufacturing process in an effort to reduce water waste. The company will be moving away from the traditional process of manufacturing micro-foam nitrile-coated gloves, which Magid says consumes a substantial amount of drinkable water.

According to Magid, just one 40-foot container of traditionally manufactured micro-foam nitrile-coated gloves uses an entire year’s worth of drinking water for 688 people. The company will now be using a foam nitrile palm coating that requires no drinking water at all.

The new coating will be used on Magid’s GP102 general purpose work gloves, which are also made with a shell that consists of 90% recycled yarn. The yarn used in the GP102 gloves is Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certified. Additionally, the gloves will be packaged in 100% recycled and earth-friendly materials.

In addition to the water-saving benefits, Magid says the new foam coating offers other advantages as well. The company claims the coating is softer and more flexible than standard nitrile while still maintaining the oil and water resistance that is typical of foam nitrile coatings.

Magid’s efforts to reduce its environmental impact are not limited to its manufacturing process. In 2018, the company installed a rooftop solar array on its 700,000 square foot facility in Romeoville, Illinois. The array is comprised of over 10,000 photovoltaic solar panels and is the largest privately held rooftop solar array in the Midwest. Magid says the solar array will provide energy equivalent to removing 40,000 gas-powered cars from the road over its lifetime. The array also allows Magid to participate in an energy consortium that provides stabilizing voltage regulation for the Eastern Interconnection Power Grid.

The company has also made changes to its product packaging, opting for cardboard sleeve packaging over plastic polybags. Magid has also implemented computer-assisted laser leather cutting in its manufacturing plants to minimize leather waste.

“We work every day to find ways to achieve our sustainability goals,” said Gary Cohen, Senior Director of Global Product Strategy & Quality at Magid. “We’re on a journey to continuously review our practices and products to make them greener, review the life cycle of every new product to make improvements throughout the supply chain, and to choose like-minded suppliers for our distribution business.”

The GP102 gloves were recognized by Environmental Protection as the 2023 New Product of the Year.

Magid did not provide a timeline for when the new manufacturing process would be fully implemented.

Learn more about the GP102 and Magid’s sustainability program here.