The Dyson Airblade™ hand dryers are extremely robust, which was a major selling point. In 2008, around 18.5 million passengers passed through Brussels Airport. “We tested the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryers for 8 months by placing them in the most frequented washrooms. During this time, we encountered no problems or complaints, nothing! This was exceptional, especially during the holiday season, where hand dryers usually suffer due to the increased number of users,” explains Lucien Vandergoten, Director of Installation and Maintenance at Brussels Airport.

But robustness wasn’t the only argument that convinced him, technology played its part as well. “The technology inside the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryers is a great innovation. Most hand dryers blow heated air onto hands. This is an issue, as it increases the temperature in the washrooms, causing an increase of relative humidity and bad smells. Blowing unheated air onto hands is also more hygienic,” says Mr. Vandergoten. “In an airport where hand dryers are constantly in use, it makes a huge difference.”

The last element in favour of the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryers is that they can be part of a sustainable approach. “At Brussels Airport, we try to be as energy efficient as possible and to respect the environment. Up until now, we’ve bought thousands and thousands of paper towels every year. It cost us a fortune not only to buy, but also in maintenance. Now with the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryers, these costs won’t exist anymore and on top of this they use very little electricity. It’s a major asset for our budget reduction as well as for our environmental policy,” says Mr. Vandergoten.

Brussels Airport

The challenge

AXA PPP Healthcare was receiving comments from employees concerned about the amount of paper towel waste generated in the bathrooms of its Tunbridge Wells headquarter complex.

As a result, the company started to look at alternative hand drying solutions comparing cost efficiencies, drying effectiveness, hygiene and most importantly environmental factors.

At first, they looked at installing standard hand dryers; however, they found these to be notoriously inefficient, taking too long to only part-dry users’ hands.

Towel rolls were also considered. Not only are these notoriously unhygienic, but they require bleaching and high temperature laundering, which is not a green solution.

The solution

Business Services Manager, Helen Ewart-Bainbridge and her team heard that Dyson had developed hand dryers that not only offer significant hand drying improvements but also environmental benefits.

“The Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer offers several key benefits, which make it a natural choice for AXA PPP Healthcare,” says Helen. “These include a 10 second dry time and a reduction in energy consumption, which is great for the environment. However, they also make sound financial sense. When you factor in the cost of paper towels, maintenance, waste costs and cleaning, they will pay for themselves within two and half years.”

The results

AXA PPP Healthcare has started to roll out the installation of 59 Dyson Airblade™ hand dryers throughout the company’s five headquarter buildings in Tunbridge Wells. Two other buildings have also been identified once planned toilet refurbishment work in these areas is complete.

AXA PPP Healthcare

The challenge

Project Manager, Scott Desborough, wanted to make the venue’s washrooms no less exhilarating and surprising than its rides. He considered fitting conventional warm air hand dryers, but soon discovered how unhygienic and inefficient they are – and how long they take to work. He also wanted something with better functionality and a more inspiring design.

The solution

When Alton Towers’ General Manager, Tim Burnell, first experienced the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer, he knew it was what they’d been looking for. With Scott and his team he set about installing Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer before the new season. “We really wanted to make our toilets extraordinary, unusual and different from the norm,” says Tim. “Our customers are actually having fun while drying their hands, which is great. They come to have fun on our rides. They don’t expect to have fun drying their hands in our washrooms. Having the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryers that use motors that spin faster than a Formula 1 engine is perfect for a venue that focuses on exhilaration and the wow factor.”

The results

To date, Alton Towers has installed five Dyson Airblade™ hand dryers. Based on the positive feedback and operational results so far, the team is investigating opportunities to install the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer in each of the park’s washrooms.

Alton Towers

The Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer is the first hand dryer to be awarded the Carbon Reduction Label from the Carbon Trust.

To secure the Carbon Reduction Label, the machine’s total carbon footprint – the amount of carbon emissions (CO₂ and other greenhouse gases) produced from its materials and manufacture, transport, in-use and end of life – were measured and certified by the Carbon Trust. As part of the certification, Dyson has committed to reducing the Airblade™ hand dryer’s carbon emissions further in the next two years.

The footprinting process revealed that the Dyson Airblade™ AB03 hand dryer emits 1,100 kg/ CO_2e total emissions during its lifetime or 3 g/CO_2e per dry¹ – equal to the carbon emissions created by watching 2 minutes and 9 seconds of television².

James Dyson:

“Good design and environmental responsibility go hand in hand. By considering the environment from the start, our engineers develop machines that are more powerful, perform better and work using less energy and materials.”

Tom Delay, chief executive of the Carbon Trust:

“Product carbon footprinting will help to deliver the lower carbon products of the future, by informing design decisions that drive out carbon emissions. We commend Dyson for their commitment to measure and reduce the carbon footprint of the Airblade™ hand dryer.”

Powered by the Dyson digital motor, the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer channels cold air at 400mph – literally scraping water from hands in 10 seconds. Unlike conventional hand dryers, the Dyson machine does not require a power-hungry heating element to dry hands – making it 80% more energy efficient³. And it avoids paper towel waste in landfills.

¹Calculations based on 200 uses per day over 5 years
²Assuming a 32” widescreen LCD TV using 0.14kw
³Based upon energy consumption for the drytime to 0.1g

Further information on the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer lifecycle:

The carbon footprint study of the machine revealed the following:

Materials and manufacture

• Represents 8.5% of the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer’s total carbon emissions. The smallest component measured was a PCB resistor weighing just 0.09g.
• The machine, made from polycarbonate-ABS, a strong and flexible plastic used to make riot shields and police helmets, produces over 50% less CO₂ emissions during production than the aluminium equivalent.

Transport

• Transport, from the production of the machine’s materials to washrooms to recycling facilities, makes up only 1% of the total carbon footprint of the machine. The close proximity of Dyson suppliers to testing, development and assembly operations in Malaysia helps minimise transport emissions.
• Dyson also avoids energy exhaustive air-freighting by shipping its products around the world by sea using fuel efficient vessels, rail and canal. Use of wooden pallets is avoided to increase the number of machines in each shipping container.

Energy in-use

• The biggest impact on the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer’s carbon footprint is not through manufacture or transport, but its energy in use representing 90.8% of total carbon emissions.
• The Dyson digital motor spins at 88,000rpm – five times faster than a Formula 1 car engine. Unlike conventional brushed motors, it doesn’t emit harmful carbon particles into the air.

End-of-life

• The machine’s end of life phase represents less than 1 percent of the machine’s total carbon footprint.
• Dyson ensures that it engineers machines and technologies that are reliable and durable thereby reducing the number of machines that need to be recycled or discarded. Almost all the machine’s component parts are recyclable.
• The Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer is guaranteed by a 5 year/350,000 uses warranty and can be recycled to comply with the European Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive.

For more information on the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer, please contact the Dyson Press Office 020 783 38244.

For more information on the Carbon Reduction Label,
please visit www.carbon-label.com.

For more information on the Carbon Trust,
please visit www.carbontrust.co.uk or contact:

Helen Ablett / Louise Oliver,
Octopus Communications for the Carbon Trust
01753 827294 or carbontrust@octopuscomms.net

Reducing waste to landfill

For Mark Hoskins, Branch Facilities Manager (Customer and Corporate) at EDF Energy, reducing the environmental impact of the company’s offices and facilities is crucial. “The environmental benefits of the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer for us were paramount,” he explains. “EDF Energy was getting through seven million paper towels annually across just eight sites.” This paper towel consumption went on despite having warm air hand dryers installed in the washrooms. “Nobody used the old hand dryers because they weren’t effective,” says Mark. “As a company, we have now set a target to reduce our waste to landfill to zero by 2020.”

After being given a demonstration of the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer, Mark purchased 125 units that were rolled out across the eight sites. The difference has been marked. “It’s incredible, we’re saving, on average, £2,800 a month now we’ve installed the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer,” he explains. It’s not just the cost savings and reduction in landfill that have impressed EDF Energy – the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryers have also led to a reduction in the business’ carbon footprint. Working closely with a Dyson Environmental Development Engineer, Mark calculated that replacing the paper towels with Dyson Airblade™ hand dryers has cut EDF Energy’s carbon emissions by 27 tonnes a year. Another 40 Dyson Airblade™ hand dryers have subsequently been ordered for other sites.

“We chose the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer for three reasons. First, quality and performance is the best available. Second, the high level of ongoing support from the Dyson team. And third, the mutually beneficial relationship we’ve built up between EDF and Dyson, which is helping us meet our overall environmental objectives.”

EDF Energy

March 2010

The Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer was launched in 2007. It works, drying hands hygienically in just ten seconds. And it’s drying more and more hands as its popularity grows around the world. In response the paper towel industry has failed to innovate and instead resorts to producing paper-thin reports with little credible evidence.

Here Dyson responds to what it believes to be the latest Kimberly Clark work of fiction, the Take Control of Poor Hand Drying campaign:

Kimberly Clark falsehood 1: “The [Take Control of Poor Hand Drying] campaign has been prompted by recent scientific research conducted by London’s University of Westminster.”

False. The European Tissue Symposium commissioned the report. It is not a published scientific study, which would require peer review to confirm its scientific rigour and impartiality. It is the work of one man, Mr Keith Redway, a researcher. The report is a commercial assignment carried out by University of Westminster Trading Ltd., not a scientific report from the University of Westminster.

Shortly, an independent report on hygiene and hand drying from Bradford University – which forms the basis for the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer’s hygiene claims – will be submitted for peer review and publication. Will Westminster Trading Ltd’s report be put under the same scientific scrutiny?

Kimberly Clark falsehood 2: “Researchers also found that using electric hand dryers could blow bacteria a significant distance across a washroom.”

False. This test was conducted under artificial conditions which do not mimic real life. Despite this, the data shows nothing more than what is found naturally on washroom surfaces as the result of dripping hands or splashes at the sink. Mr Redway offered no context as to whether the numbers are of any concern at all; he simply drew some preconceived conclusions.

Kimberly Clark falsehood 3: “Using a paper towel reduced the total number of bacteria on hands by an average of 77%.”

False. This claim is unsubstantiated. In his statistical analysis, Mr Redway demonstrated he could not be confident that his data was genuine and reliable. Despite this, Mr Redway chose not to run repeat tests, and just reported the results as valid.

Kimberly Clark falsehood 4: “Paper towels showed no significant spread of bacteria.”

False. This was not properly examined in the Westminster Trading Ltd. report. The report conveniently failed to mention the spread of bacteria that occurs via contamination on paper towel dispensers, for example. This has been proven in sound scientific work published in reputable journals [1].

Kimberly Clark falsehood 5: “In addition, organisations such as the World Health Organisation now recommend single-use towels for good overall hand hygiene.”

False. In Dyson’s opinion, Kimberly Clark cynically suggests that the World Health Organization only recommends paper towels. The WHO report actually says:
“Ideally, hands should be dried using either individual paper towels or hand driers which can dry hands effectively and as quickly as it can be done with paper towels, and have been proven not to be associated with the aerosolization of pathogens.”

An independent study conducted by Campden BRI, the UK’s leading food research institute, confirmed that aerosolisation of bacteria is not an issue for the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer.

Kimberly Clark falsehood 6: “Businesses and organisations have often been told over the years that electric hand dryers are the most hygienic way to dry hands after washing them. The reality, however, could not be more different, with this research suggesting people could even be putting themselves at increased risk of spreading germs by using dryers.”

False. The Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer works very differently from warm hand dryers. As a result it has gained accreditations that, along with independent scientific reports, attest to its hygienic credentials. These include hygiene certifications from the NSF International (formerly the National Sanitation Foundation) and the Royal Society for Public Health. The machine is currently being used in hospitals, including the Royal Marsden and Kingston – after meeting their stringent hygiene requirements.

Kimberly Clark falsehood 7: “It’s well known that electric hand dryers can cause long queues in washrooms, which result in wet floors and disgruntled customers.”

False. The Westminster Trading Ltd report confirms that the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer dries hands just as quickly as paper towels.

Kimberly Clark falsehood 8: “After washing and drying hands with the jet air dryer, the total number of bacteria were found to have increased on average on the palms by 15% and on the fingerpads by 42%”

False. The Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer uses a HEPA filter to ensure there are virtually no bacteria present in the air used to dry hands. Westminster Trading Ltd’s testing confirmed this, but still reported an increase in numbers on the skin – a clear contradiction that is not explained. The Westminster test sampled skin before washing and not again until after drying – making no distinction between the two stages. It is almost certainly the washing, not the drying, that increased the numbers in their test (due to rubbing releasing more ‘good’ skin bacteria to the surface of the hand). An independent scientific study from the IRM (Institut de Recherche Microbiologique) shows that drying your hands for 10 seconds with the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer reduces the bacteria on the skin by 89.5%.

Kimberly Clark falsehood 9: “Intermetra found that while 63% of respondents preferred to dry their hands with paper towels in public washrooms, just 28% preferred air dryers and only 10% opted for pull-down linen towels.”

False. The Intermetra research cited (June 2008 survey) refers to conventional warm air dryers. The Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer works completely differently – drying hands hygienically by literally scraping the water off in 10 seconds using a sheet of unheated air. In a survey of 167,000 people by Dyson, 88% of people preferred the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer to paper towels [2].

Kimberly Clark falsehood 10: “The high-performance AIRFLEX* Fabric used in the Kimberly Clark Professional* range of SCOTT* Xtra Hand Towels requires 15% less fibre than a standard fabric and helps reduce waste placed in the bin by up to 28%. Meanwhile, the average recycled fibre content in all Kimberly-Clark Professional * paper towel products is as high as 80%.”

False. No matter how much recycled fibre is used to make them, paper towels cannot be recycled once they’ve been used, so they end up on landfill.

Dyson engineers its machines and technologies to be reliable and durable, reducing the number of machines that need to be recycled or discarded. Almost all component parts are recyclable. For the cost of a single paper towel, the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer can dry 19 pairs of hands [3].

[1] Bacterial transfer and cross-contamination potential associated with paper-towel.
Dispensing – Wendy A. Harrison, PhD,a Christopher J. Griffith, PhD,a Troy Ayers, MS,b and Barry Michaels, BSc Cardiff, United Kingdom, and Gainesville and Palatka, Florida (2003)
Technique to determine contamination exposure routes and the economic efficiency of folded paper-towel dispensing
Wendy A. Harrison, PhDa, Christopher J. Griffith, PhDa, Barry Michaels, BSb, Troy Ayers, MSc Cardiff, United Kingdom, and Palatka and Gainesville, Florida (2003)

[2]Source: 167,000 touch screen votes at Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer’s concourse activity , O’Hare Airport, Chicago: 10th Nov – 30th Nov 2009.

[3]Based on power costs of £0.09/kWh and paper towel costs of £0.0075 per towel

The Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer has been awarded the Best Interior Product Award at the Building Better Healthcare Awards 2009. This award recognises healthcare interiors or architectural products that improved the internal therapeutic environment, enhanced safety for patients and staff or made a positive contribution to service delivery.

The Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer was also commended in the Best Ecological Product category at the BBH awards which celebrates a healthcare product that does not diminish the natural environment and contributes to sustainable development over its entire lifecycle.

The BBH awards are now in their 11th year and continue to raise the bar in healthcare building design through celebrating achievers across the field.

NHS Supply Chain launches Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer contract

May 2009

The Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer has been launched in NHS trusts and healthcare organisations on the merit of its ability to cut the risk of healthcare associated infections (HCAIs). As the only hand dryer certified by the leading public health and safety company, NSF International, the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer has secured a pilot contract in health centres across the country via the NHS Supply Chain.

The Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer contains a HEPA filter to eliminate 99.9% of bacteria from the air used to dry hands. Extremely energy efficient, the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer dries hands up to four times faster than standard hand dryers, using a 400 mph jet of cool air to scrape water from hands.

“This truly is an innovation,” said Chris Graham, Senior Buyer at NHS Supply Chain. “Wet hands harbour up to 1000 times more bacteria than dry hands and in turn spread infection across healthcare sites. Patients and healthcare workers are now able to dry their hands within ten seconds and at a fraction of the cost.”

When compared with warm-air dryers and paper towels, each Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer can save NHS trusts up to £2,000 a year in operating costs. Using 80 per cent less energy than warm-air dryers, and at three times more carbon efficient than standard hand drying methods, the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer ensures a minimised carbon footprint for each trust.

“The Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer has been introduced on a trial basis in response to customer interest,” said Chris. “It is a welcome addition to our range of products aimed at helping NHS customers combat the threat of HCAIs.”

Raising awareness

Environmental Officer isn’t a role usually associated with a theatre company. But Natalie Lewis, who holds that post at the Ambassador Theatre Group, is keen to point out that it’s imperative that all businesses consider their environmental impact. “Industry is having to catch up with people’s personal habits when it comes to environmental issues,” she explains. Like recycling. “We all do it at home, there’s no reason why not to at work.”

Natalie brings this approach to her workplace. “We’ve established an environmental policy and, having set benchmarks for improvement after having a Carbon Trust audit, are working to reduce our energy usage across all venues,” she reveals. “We had the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer recommended to us when we tendered for a new recycling company to deal with our waste.”

It wasn’t the first time that Natalie had come across the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer. “I first saw it in an airport and thought it was really whizzy.” Natalie was pleased to discover that the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer delivered environmental benefits, too. “The rental of the new hand dryers is off-set by the electricity savings. It costs less in electricity because it uses less.” Replacing its old warm air dryers with the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer has helped the Ambassador Theatre Group maintain its budget and lower its environmental impact.

The Group currently has 15 Dyson Airblade™ hand dryers installed across three of its theatres and its head office. “They’ve been received very enthusiastically by our audiences and we hope to have Dyson Airblade™ hand dryers in three or four new venues by the end of this year,” Natalie continues. “The Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer goes well with the Ambassador Theatre Group’s ethos and what we’re trying to achieve as a company. We’re really pleased with it.”

Ambassador Theatre Group