A Closer Look at SHOWA’s Eco Best Technology Gloves

How Eco Best Technology Gloves Help the Planet

The world is becoming more aware of the environmental impact of plastic waste globally. Long before this, SHOWA ploughed into research and development to reduce the impact of its products.

Disposal of single-use PPE gloves has reached 100 billion pairs per year. That is enough gloves to pave a trip to the moon and back 30 times. A standard glove takes over 100 years to break down, almost as long as a plastic bag.

SHOWA developed a way to mitigate this effect while still providing the highest protection. Their Eco Best Technology (EBT) reduces the time it takes a glove to break down by 20%.

The Science Behind the Gloves

SHOWA EBT gloves are the first-ever biodegradable nitrile gloves in the world. They consist of nitrile containing organic additives and fibres.

When disposed of in active-landfill sites, this organic material attracts microbes. These are microorganisms that cause fermentation and decomposition. The organic material provides a nutrient source, and the microbes consume and break down the glove.

The by-products of this process are organic soil, methane and carbon dioxide, some of the components of biogas. Eco best technology gloves degrade entirely within five years.

Here’s a great breakdown of SHOWA Eco Best Technology

There is No Compromise on Quality

SHOWA in Japanese means “finding a balance between different elements”, and EBT gloves embody this concept. They have not compromised on the protection or performance. The only difference is the environmental impact. This was tested extensively by comparing standard nitrile gloves to eco best technology gloves.

The tests found little or no difference in the resistance and stretch of the gloves. The resistance to chemical permeability was the same. The gloves consisting of nitrile with EBT performed better than standard nitrile after an extended shelf-life.

The SHOWA Eco Best Technology Range