An unlikely candidate, perhaps, but did you know that the disposable glove market is taking off in the UK? Zion research have recently published a report stating that the global disposable gloves market is currently valued at around 5.2 billion dollars (£3.5 billion) and is expected to reach around 8 billion dollars (£5.4 billion) in just four short years. But why is this happening? And why is there so much money to be made in a pair of humble disposable gloves? Here’s everything you need to know…
What are disposable gloves?
Disposable gloves are single-use gloves that are designed to be worn to serve as a barrier between the wearer and the substance they’re handling. Typically, disposable gloves consist of latex, nitrile, vinyl and other chemically-composed materials, and are used in medical and non-medical settings.
In recent years, private individuals have started to use disposable gloves in the domestic setting too, and as a result they’re available for both domestic and commercial use from manufactures such as Brosch, among others.
Disposable gloves & the medical sector
Demand for disposable gloves in the medical industry is very high. As you might imagine, disposable gloves are worn to protect medical professionals from substances that might be harmful to them, as well as serving the same purpose in reverse. Bacteria and pathogens from the wearer are prevented from contaminating sanitary work spaces and patients, and at the same time, harmful bodily fluids such as blood are prevented from coming into contact with a health worker’s body.
Routinely used for for their high sterile properties in surgical procedures, examinations, dental treatment and all other manner of medical interventions, disposable gloves are a key part of the medical industry’s arsenal. It’s thought that worldwide usage of nitrile gloves in particular increases by 10% each year, going some way towards accounting for the predicted profitability of this market.
The food and catering industry
Another key player in the growth of the disposable glove market is the food and catering industry. According to recent government reports, incidents of food poisoning amount to 1 million a year in the UK alone, resulting in 20,000 people needing hospital treatment and comes at a cost of nearly £1.5 billion.
Sadly, around 500 people die from food poisoning each year in the UK, and as a result, it’s not hard to imagine how central disposable gloves are becoming to prevent illness. Used in the food and catering industry while meals are being prepared, disposable gloves prevent the spread of pathogens from unclean hands to food products, reducing the opportunity for diseases such as norovirus, salmonella, E. coli, listeria and campylobacter to take hold.
Disposable gloves also integral to the laboratory and creation process for recipes, the packaging procedures of many food products, and even the practice of serving meals in places like workplaces and school canteens.
Domestic use
Finally, domestic gloves are gradually working their way into the home, accounting for another reason behind the predicted growth of this market. Private individuals are keeping disposable gloves for use in their own kitchens and medical kits, and even for completing general household chores such as cleaning without needlessly suffering from skin irritations.
Overall, it’s clear to see why an item as unsuspecting as a disposable glove is set to rocket in the UK.
