SINGAPORE (June 6): Top Glove Corporation has launched its flagship ‘green’ product, an environmentally-friendly variant of disposable nitrile gloves designed to biodegrade in anaerobic environments (i.e. where there is little to no breathable oxygen), such as in landfills.

The news comes on the heels of Top Glove’s March 22 announcement that it had formed a Sustainability Committee to implement its sustainability strategy and initiatives covering environmental, social and economic aspects as well as embedding sustainability practices into the group’s businesses.

Introduced in conjunction with World Environment Day on June 5, the new BioGreen Biodegradable Nitrile Gloves (Powder-Free) provides an “end-of-life solution” which will contribute to reducing the accumulation of waste in landfills, says Top Glove in a press release on Wednesday.

Biodegradation within landfills occurs through a natural microbial process. Through this process, microbes from the soil consume and digest the gloves biologically which in turn, reduces the accumulation of waste.

Based on measurements under the internationally-recognised ASTM D5511 Standard Test, the BioGreen gloves have been proven to biodegrade at least 10 times faster than their conventional nitrile examination glove counterparts, adds the group.

The ambidextrous gloves also feature an accelerator-free formulation that minimise the wearer’s risk to Type IV hypersensitivity reaction, which is triggered by exposure to chemical accelerators.

This makes the product ideal for use in both medical and non-medical sectors.

Going forward, the group says it will continue to pursue developing more ‘green’ versions of gloves within its synthetic latex product range.

“As a corporate citizen and an industry leader, environmental stewardship is a responsibility we take seriously. Through R&D and innovation, we believe we are well able to make a positive difference in this very important area and leave a positive legacy for the world we work, live and play in,” says Lim Wee Chai, executive chairman of Top Glove.

As at 10:25am, shares in Top Glove are trading flat at $1.56 on the SGX.