Technical Untangled - Understanding Life Cycle Assessments in PPE

What is a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a structured method used to evaluate the environmental impact of a product across its entire lifespan. Rather than looking at one stage in isolation, an LCA considers the full journey, from the sourcing of raw materials through manufacturing, transportation, use, and final disposal or recycling.

This “life cycle” approach provides a clearer picture of at what stage environmental impacts occur and how significant they are. For PPE products such as gloves, that means examining everything from fibre production and coating materials to factory energy consumption, packaging, global shipping, and end-of-life treatment.

International standards such as ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 define four key stages in an LCA:

1.     Goal and Scope Definition - Establishing what is being measured, why the assessment is being conducted, and what boundaries are included (for example, cradle-to-gate or cradle-to-grave).

2.     Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) - Collecting data on inputs and outputs, including raw materials, energy use, water consumption, and emissions.

3.     Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) - Translating that data into environmental impact categories such as global warming potential, resource depletion, water use, or waste generation.

2.     Interpretation - Analysing the results to identify impact “hotspots” and opportunities for improvement. This also involves completeness, sensitivity, and consistency checks

By following this structured methodology, LCAs provide credible, science-based insights rather than assumptions. They help manufacturers make informed design decisions, enable customers to compare products on a consistent basis, and support transparent environmental reporting.

LCAs demonstrate how material choices, manufacturing energy consumption, and waste treatment influence the overall environmental footprint of a product - helping manufacturers and purchasers make more informed and sustainable decisions.

How Tilsatec Uses LCA to Improve PPE Sustainability

At Tilsatec, LCAs are not simply a paperwork exercise; they are a practical tool forming part of our future product design and sustainability planning. As outlined in our 2025/26 Sustainability Report, we’ve taken tangible steps to measure and reduce environmental impacts across our EnVision product range and that’s just the start.

The EnVision Glove Range: A Case Study in Sustainable PPE

Our Tilsatec EnVision® glove series sets a new benchmark in sustainable hand protection by combining high performance with significantly reduced environmental impact:

·       Sustainable materials: In 2025, 15% of our coated glove production incorporated recycled and plant-based yarns, demonstrating measurable progress in sourcing lower-impact materials and inputs.

·       Measured LCA results: We’ve quantified carbon emissions on our EnVision glove range on a cradle-to-customer basis - providing clear, comparable figures (e.g., CO₂e per pair of gloves).

·       Material innovation: Gloves in the EnVision range incorporate bio-based and recycled yarns, reducing reliance on virgin synthetic materials and lowering associated emissions.

Cradle to Customer vs Cradle to Grave

Cradle-to-customer and cradle-to-grave represent two different approaches to Life Cycle Assessment, and it is important to appreciate the difference. Both have their merits in LCA.

Cradle to Customer (distributor or re-seller) assessments 

In this case, cradle to customer (distributor) refers to a life cycle assessment boundary that encompasses all stages from raw material extraction (“cradle”) through manufacturing, processing, and transportation, up to the point the finished product is delivered to the distributor.

It includes upstream material production, energy use in manufacturing, internal logistics, packaging, and outbound transport to the distributor, but excludes impacts associated with onward distribution, product use, and end-of-life treatment.

This approach enables organisations to quantify and manage the environmental impacts within their direct operations and immediate supply chain, up to the point of sale.

The cradle-to-customer impacts are often calculated up to delivery to the distributor because downstream distribution to individual customers/users can vary widely and often falls outside the manufacturer’s operational control. Modelling transportation and handling beyond the distributor would require numerous assumptions, potentially reducing the accuracy and reliability of the results. Setting the distributor as the end point allows the assessment to be based on verified, consistent data, providing a clear and transparent view of the environmental impacts within the stages under direct control.

Cradle to Gate

Cradle-to-gate measures the environmental impact of a product from the extraction of raw materials through manufacturing and processing, up to the point where the finished product leaves the factory. It includes impacts associated with raw materials, supplier activities, energy use, emissions and waste generated during production. However, it does not cover transportation to customers, how the product is used, or what happens at the end of its life, such as disposal or recycling.

While cradle-to-gate analysis provides valuable insight into manufacturing and supply chain performance, it represents only part of a product’s total environmental impact.

Cradle to Grave

This refers to a life cycle assessment approach that considers the full lifespan of a product, from raw material extraction (“cradle”) through manufacturing, distribution and use, to its final disposal or treatment at end of life (“grave”). This boundary includes upstream material production, energy use in manufacturing, transportation, the product’s use phase, and end-of-life processes such as recycling, incineration or landfill.

By capturing impacts across the entire life cycle, cradle-to-grave assessments provide a comprehensive view of a product’s overall environmental footprint and highlight where the most significant environmental impacts occur.

However, cradle-to-grave studies rely on assumptions, particularly during the use and disposal stages. Product lifespan, number of wash cycles, washing temperatures, drying methods and user behaviour are often based on averages rather than actual real-world conditions. End-of-life modelling typically uses national average recycling or landfill rates, which may not reflect how individual customers dispose of products.

Accessing accurate data beyond the manufacturing stage can be challenging, as these stages involve operations outside Tilsatec’s direct control, meaning results should be viewed as informed estimates rather than precise predictions of environmental performance.

 Independent certification plays a vital role in providing PPE buyers with complete visibility throughout the manufacturing supply chain. It provides assurance that the products are ethically sourced, responsibly produced, and supported by transparent information into their environmental footprint. Tilsatec has partnered with Positive Planet to conduct LCAs across our EnVision glove range which can be made available to customers on request.

Beyond the Numbers: Embedding Sustainability Across Tilsatec

LCA is part of a wider set of ESG initiatives at Tilsatec. Our 2025/26 Sustainability Report outlines how we are integrating environmental metrics with broader ethical, social, and governance goals, including annual carbon tracking and optimisation of operations and logistics.

What This Means for You

Whether you’re specifying PPE for frontline workers or evaluating suppliers through an ESG lens, life cycle assessments give you the data and insights needed to make better decisions:

·       Understand environmental trade-offs without compromising safety.

·       Compare product footprints on a consistent lifecycle basis.

·       Support sustainability targets with measurable, credible metrics.

55-1825 – EnVision plant lightweight cut level A microfoam palm coated glove

The EnVision glove range has been designed to provide end users with a verified, viable, eco-friendly alternative to their current hand protection without compromising protection, comfort, or significantly higher prices.

Specifying EnVision hand protection helps to solve a major, emerging issue for businesses – how to reduce the impact of your supply chain without compromising protection for your workforce.

·       Certified 55% bio-based content awarded Eurofins silver badge

·       Manufactured using a unique combination of plant and bio-based yarns

·       Carbon footprint: 406g CO²e per pair

·       Touchscreen compatible

·       Incredible fine tactility, close fitting and comfort from 15 gauge lightweight liner

55-3825 – EnVision plant lightweight cut level C microfoam palm coated glove

·       Certified 29% bio-based content awarded Eurofins bronze badge

·       Manufactured using a unique combination of plant and bio-based yarns

·       Carbon footprint: 442g CO²e per pair

·       Touchscreen compatible

·       Microfoam palm coating delivers secure dry and oil grip

In an era where sustainability is integral to procurement and corporate responsibility, LCAs aren’t just a technical exercise - they are a practical benefit. And at Tilsatec, we’re committed to taking measurable action to reduce our footprint while delivering best in class protection.

Find out more about the EnVision range and how you can reduce the impact of your PPE supply.