In this article
Sustainability helps you breathe more easily
Industries in every sector are striving to improve their sustainability. Perhaps by sourcing more environmentally-friendly raw materials, by reducing their carbon footprint, or by generating less waste from their production processes.
Now the good news is that there’s a new, quick and easy step to greater sustainability. And all it takes is changing one of your usual essential purchases to one that’s manufactured with those sustainability goals in mind.
If your business regularly buys Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), it’s likely that includes particulate respirators. Essential in operating environments where the air contains potentially harmful particulates, these respirators cannot yet be recycled.
That’s partly due to the complex mix of materials they incorporate, and partly due to the likelihood that they will be contaminated with whatever was in the atmosphere when they were being worn.
However making a product fully recyclable is not the only way to make it more sustainable. Manufacturing it from recycled material is an equally valid approach. And that’s just what 3M™ have done with the 3M Aura™ Particulate Respirators 9300+ Series.
50 years behind the mask
Behind every Aura™ 9300+ Respirator lies almost half a century of commitment to sustainability.
- It was back in 1975 when 3M launched their Pollution Prevention Pays programme, which still continues today.
- It’s more than 20 years ago that the business gained accreditation to ISO14001, which is the internationally recognised standard for environmental management systems.
- 5 years ago, 3M joined the global RE100 initiative, which aims to move member businesses towards 100% renewable energy. At the same time, the company began powering its global headquarterswith 100% renewable electricity.
Now the upgraded 3M™ Aura™ Particulate Respirators 9300+ Series represents the next step towards more sustainable operations for the business. And while the product helps to support 3M’s own sustainability commitment, it also helps the customers who choose it to reduce their own environmental impact in turn.
Choose to be more sustainable
By choosing the Aura 9300+ Series, you are choosing a more sustainable path.
Every respirator in the series is made with a minimum of 25% recycled content. (The Particulate Respirator 9312 contains even more, at 30%.)
The content varies by product because of the different level of protection (FFP1, FFP2 and FFP3) offered by each one. Although the same weight of recycled content is added to each product, it represents a different percentage of the overall product weight.
Incorporating recycled content isn’t straightforward. It’s a question of balancing the quantity of recycled content against both the recyclability of the material, and the energy used / CO2 emissions involved in transporting the product. That’s why there is 30% recycled content in the individual wraps, but recycled content totals 76% in each shipper case, and 100% in the primary cartons.
The same, but different
By increasing the sustainability of the Aura respirator, 3M is helping customers towards achieving their own sustainability goals. So it’s definitely a change for the better. But better still, some things haven’t changed.
The upgraded products still look the same as previous versions. They still perform just as effectively to remove particulates. And wearers who have been previously face-fit tested for the earlier product version will not need to be tested again for the upgraded product.
All of which means the 3M™ Aura™ Particulate Respirators 9300+ Series lets your respirator wearers breathe more easily. And is a breath of fresh air for your sustainability champions.
Protection and sustainability hand-in-hand
The highly sustainable 3M™ Aura™ Particulate Respirators 9300+ Series has a number of features and benefits which help to make it one of 3M’s best-selling disposable respirators.
- 3M’s Advanced Electrostatic Media enables easier breathing, and the 3M Cool Flow Exhalation Valve helps release warm and moist exhaled breath from inside the respirator
- The 3-panel design ensures a better fit for a wide range of face shapes and sizes
- The large soft nose foam material and smooth inner cover provide a soft and comfortable feel against the skin
- The embossed top panel helps reduce eyewear fogging
- An innovative chin tab improves ease of donning and adjustment
- Available in FFP1, FFP2 or FFP3 protection levels, with or without exhalation valve
Purchase your 3M Aura from the ERIKS Webshop or contact your local ERIKS Service Centre, who will be happy to discuss your options.
#3M #ERIKS #LetsMakeIndustryWorkBetter #Sustainability #PPE