Commissioned by by-wire.net to develop new care-wear concepts for the future.
Material and wearables research and testing and create designs and prototypes.
In collaboration with Alcon Advies, BrabantZorg, DutchSpirit, JJH Textiles, Marloes Blaas, Newasco, Radboudumc, UMC Groningen, UMC Utrecht and Van Puijenbroek Textiel, process management by MVO Netwerk Zorg, in collaboration with the international experts of MVO Nederland.
MVO Caring workwear is targeted to nurses and caregivers. The comfortable garments are designed as uniform systems: The undergarment gives health professionals – who perform a very physical job – support in shoulders, lower back and knees by their pattern construction and fabric choice. The outerwear is equipped with an anti-bacterial coating, which helps to reduce the risk of bacterial contamination. Electronic ‘wearables’ in the garments can keep issuing a warning signal in case of overload and unbalanced postures; you can track your posture behaviour with an app. A gas sensor warns you about risks in the air around the wearer.
The clothing is also caring for creators and the environment. Workers with a fair wage and in safe workplaces produce the pieces in factories in Tunisia and Bangladesh. The production is as environmentally friendly as possible, for example with C2C certified PLA/Tencel. They can be recycled, which helps to reduce the waste of healthcare institutions.
Benefits: healthy employees, less absenteeism and lower management costs. Traditional care institutions look mainly to the acquisition cost if they buy workwear. However, the cheapest jacket may prove more expensive than a smart, sustainable alternative, if you calculate the full costs of work wear. That means including the costs of maintenance and processing, but also the savings when you avoid a infection.
The caregivers don’t have to compromise on comfort. Employees tested the fabrics and judged it better than their current clothing.
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