Medical Devices — PPE (Disposable)

Material Composition Assumptions

The default functional unit is one disposable PPE unit modelled as a weighted average across three representative products:

• Surgical mask (ASTM Level 1–3 / EN 14683): ~3–5 g total mass. Three-ply construction: polypropylene spunbond outer and inner layers (~1 g each), meltblown filter layer (~1 g), nose wire (aluminium or steel, ~0.3 g), ear loops (polyester or polyurethane elastic, ~0.2 g). Packaged in PE poly bags, typically 50 per box.
• N95 / FFP2 respirator (NIOSH N95 / EN 149): ~8–12 g total mass. Multi-layer meltblown PP construction with higher filtration efficiency. May include aluminium nose clip, foam nose seal, and elastomeric straps. Individual sterile packaging common for clinical use.
• Disposable isolation gown: ~25–40 g. PP or PE nonwoven fabric, heat-sealed seams. May be SMS (spunbond-meltblown-spunbond) construction for fluid resistance.

Blended representative unit mass: ~30 g (weighted toward gowns by mass).

Key materials by emission intensity:

• Polypropylene meltblown nonwoven: ~1.9 kgCO₂e/kg (Ecoinvent). Highest material intensity due to polymer production and energy-intensive extrusion.
• Tyvek sterile packaging (HDPE flash-spun nonwoven): ~2.4 kgCO₂e/kg; used for individually sterile items (surgical instruments, some high-grade N95s).
• Ethylene oxide (EtO) sterilization: Highly energy-intensive; also requires aeration time (12–24 hours) and EtO destruction. Gamma irradiation (Co-60) is an alternative with comparable energy footprint.

Manufacturing Geography

The default manufacturing region is China, accounting for approximately 50% of global disposable PPE production by volume (pre-2020 baseline). The COVID-19 pandemic significantly accelerated Chinese manufacturing capacity and shifted trade patterns.

• China (~50% global production): Dominant for surgical masks and disposable gowns. Grid-intensive manufacturing combined with long-distance transport (primarily ocean freight, supplemented by air during surge demand).

• Malaysia (~10%): Significant production of gloves (not covered here) and some mask production; grid intensity ~600 gCO₂e/kWh.

• USA (domestic, ~15% post-pandemic reshoring): Higher labour and energy costs but shorter supply chains; grid intensity ~390 gCO₂e/kWh.

• Grid intensity: 565 gCO₂e/kWh used for China manufacturing Scope 2. Sterilization facilities may be co-located with manufacturing (China) or in destination country (EU, USA), materially affecting the Scope 2 geography.

• Air freight multiplier: Air freight emits approximately 50× more CO₂e per tonne-km than ocean shipping. During pandemic surge procurement (2020–2021), a significant fraction of PPE was air-freighted, adding 0.3–1.5 kgCO₂e per unit depending on routing. The default score assumes a blended transport mode (70% ocean, 30% air) reflecting post-pandemic normalization.

Regional Variation

Manufacturing Region	Grid Intensity	Transport Mode	Approx. Score Adjustment
China + ocean freight (baseline)	565 gCO₂e/kWh	Ocean	1.2 kgCO₂e/unit (default)
China + air freight (surge)	565 gCO₂e/kWh	Air	+0.5–1.5 kgCO₂e/unit
Malaysia + ocean freight	~600 gCO₂e/kWh	Ocean	~1.1–1.3 kgCO₂e/unit
USA domestic manufacturing	~390 gCO₂e/kWh	Domestic truck	~0.8–1.0 kgCO₂e/unit
EU manufacturing (Germany/France)	~300 gCO₂e/kWh	Domestic truck	~0.7–0.9 kgCO₂e/unit

Note: Sterilization dominates Scope 2 and is largely independent of manufacturing geography if performed in destination country. Regionalization of sterilization capacity is a key lever for reducing PPE emissions.

Provenance Override Guidance

A supplier or procurement team may override the default CCI score by submitting:

1. Product-specific LCA or EPD (Environmental Product Declaration per ISO 14025 / EN 15804) covering the specific PPE product, manufacturing site, and sterilization method.
2. Sterilization energy data: kWh per sterilization cycle, batch size (units per cycle), and electricity source for the sterilization facility.
3. Transport mode documentation: Bill of lading or freight invoice confirming ocean vs. air shipment, origin port, and destination port.
4. Material composition declaration: Mass per unit, polymer grades, and any recycled content certification.

The NHS Greener NHS procurement standards and the Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council (HPRC) are developing category-specific frameworks for PPE carbon disclosure. Confidence is rated low due to high variability in product specifications, sterilization methods, and supply chain transport modes.

Methodology Notes

• CCI score of 1.2 kgCO₂e per unit represents a blended estimate across surgical masks, N95 respirators, and disposable gowns, weighted by approximate procurement volumes in a typical healthcare setting.
• Per-kg intensity of ~40 kgCO₂e/kg is high relative to most material categories, driven by: (1) energy-intensive sterilization applied to a very low-mass product, (2) air freight contributing disproportionately per unit of product mass, and (3) sterile packaging (Tyvek, PE pouches) representing a high fraction of total mass.
• Scope breakdown: Scope 3 (~60%, ~0.72 kgCO₂e) covers upstream polymer production, packaging materials, and transport. Scope 2 (~30%, ~0.36 kgCO₂e) covers sterilization energy and factory electricity. Scope 1 (~10%, ~0.12 kgCO₂e) covers direct process emissions from EtO sterilization and any on-site energy.
• Functional unit: One disposable PPE unit (blended average), cradle-to-healthcare-facility gate. Use-phase emissions (none — single use) and end-of-life (clinical waste incineration) are excluded from the default score; incineration of PP releases ~3 kgCO₂/kg but is classified as waste management scope.
• Confidence rated low: High product diversity (masks vs. gowns vs. respirators vary 5–10× by mass), sterilization method variability, and pandemic-driven supply chain disruption make a single representative score inherently uncertain. A ±50% uncertainty range is appropriate.
• Data gaps: EtO sterilization energy consumption per unit is poorly documented in public literature. Gamma irradiation (dose and energy intensity) varies by contract sterilizer. Individual sterile packaging (Tyvek pouches) for N95s significantly increases per-unit packaging mass and embodied emissions relative to bulk-packed surgical masks.