Over 300 billion gloves are used each year.
Up to 50% are unnecessary.
Wasted money. Increased emissions. No added protection.
The Global Emergency Gloves Off Campaign.
It'sTime to Take the Gloves Off.
Over 420 billion gloves are used each year.
Up to 50% are unnecessary.
Wasted money. Increased emissions. No added protection.
Wave 1 - South East Asian Emergency Departments
The Global Emergency Gloves Off Campaign was officially launched at the Emergency Medicine Annual Symposium, 22–24 August 2025 in Kuala Lumpur.
Led by Dr Brian O’Connell, Dr Debbie Wilson, Dr Matthew Knox, and Dr Lai Heng Foong, and joined by hundreds of emergency doctors and healthcare staff in KL.
In collaboration with leaders of emergency medicine across Asia:
Dr Alzamani Idrose – Malaysia (CEP AMM)
Dr Steven Lim – Singapore (SEMS)
Dr Clara Wu – Hong Kong (HKCEM)
With guidance from the Gloves Off co-founders at Great Ormond Street Hospital (UK):
Helen Dunn
Nicola Wilson
And with thanks to Tina Wilkie, Amy Bernotas, NSW Health teams, and the Climate Risk & Net Zero Unit for their vital support.
sEMCAN
GGHH
NSW Health (Sustainable ED Program)
CAHA
EUSEM
DEA
Glove overuse is one of healthcare’s most overlooked problems.
It costs money, increases waste, harms the environment, and in some cases, does more harm than good.
🧤 300+ billion
Gloves are used in healthcare every year.
♻️ 30–50%
Are considered unnecessary or avoidable.
💰 Millions wasted
Each year on overuse in clinical settings.
🌍 Environmental impact
Gloves contribute significantly to carbon emissions from production to disposal.
⚠️ Clinical risk
Overuse may reduce hand hygiene and increase cross-contamination.
Proven Impact
The Gloves Off! approach isn’t just theory — it’s backed by published research in NSW hospitals.
A 2025 study found that after launching Gloves Off:
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Unnecessary glove use dropped from 60% to 23%.
-
Hand hygiene improved from 59% to 83%.
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13,000 fewer gloves were used per month, saving 443kg CO₂ and AUD $650.
With modest resources, the project delivered the “triple bottom line” — better care for patients, reduced costs, and a lighter footprint for the planet.
sEMCAN
GGHH
NSW Health (Sustainable ED Program)
CAHA
EUSEM
DEA
How to Launch Gloves Off in Your ED
01
One Small Project.
Start with one simple goal: reduce unnecessary glove use in your department. It’s measurable, meaningful, and manageable.
02
Two Passionate Colleagues.
You only need two team members to lead the charge. Anyone ready to make change happen.
03
Three-Month Timeline.
Set a SMART goal. Set the campaign up over 12 weeks. Track results, celebrate wins, and build momentum.
Download the free Toolkit
A simple, practical guide to cutting unnecessary glove use in healthcare — improving care, reducing waste, and lowering emissions.
This global movement started at Great Ormond Street Hospital in 2018 and has since been adopted across Australia and beyond with remarkable results. The evidence is clear: up to half of glove use in healthcare is unnecessary, driving infections, costs, and billions of items of waste to landfill each year.
The Gloves Off Toolkit gives you everything you need to launch a project in your department or hospital: step-by-step guidance, training resources, communications assets, and metrics to measure impact.
Better care = less waste = lower emissions = real savings.
sEMCAN
GGHH
NSW Health (Sustainable ED Program)
CAHA
EUSEM
DEA
It's time to take the Gloves Off
Sign up to the waitlist for access to the full Gloves Off Resource Library Now.
Everything You Need to Get Started ➞
Download posters, briefing slides, audit templates, and more. All designed to make launching Gloves Off simple and impactful.
Campaign Posters
Eye-catching visuals to build awareness
Coming Soon.
1-Slide Daily Briefs
Quick education tools for busy shifts.
Coming Soon.
Audit Template
Track glove usage and reductions.
Coming Soon.
Comms Pack
Sample emails, messaging, social media copy.
Coming Soon.
Team Rewards