A sustainable, cost-effective, and fast hand drying solution engineered by Dyson has already proven its worth at a New Zealand based meat manufacturer. 

New Zealand’s Silver Fern Farms are working with global technology company Dyson to introduce Dyson’s Airblade Wash+Dry hand dryer in place of single use paper towels.  

The New Zealand based company, one of the nation’s leading procurers, processors, and exporters of red meat, approached Dyson to find an alternative to single-use paper towels at its Te Aroha facility, which were proving costly and wasteful to the environment.  

The partnership started in 2020 and Dyson identified the Dyson Airblade Wash+Dry hand dryer as a way to solve Silver Fern Farms’ problems.  

Futureproofing businesses 

“We engaged with Dyson to discuss the solutions available for a hygienic and fast hand drying at our processing plants with a view to replacing our,” said Silver Fern Farms COO Mark Leslie. 

“To keep our sustainability journey moving forward, we trialled the Dyson Wash+Dry units at our Te Aroha site where, alongside Dyson, we could monitor the initiative and its effectiveness in reducing paper towel waste.” 

The trial immediately demonstrated to Leslie the benefits of installing the Dyson Airblade Wash+Dry unit.  

“Not only did the trial deliver cost savings, less waste and reduce water consumption, but there was also zero reduction in traffic flow for our people,” said Leslie. 

“As a customer-led global marketing business we are committed to producing quality products and the hygiene outcomes from our trial were also outstanding. Our sites now have approval for the Dyson Airblade Wash+Dry units to be rolled out to our 12 other sites around New Zealand.” 

Hygienic and safe 

Dyson Airblade Wash+Dry hand dryers dry hands in 14 seconds with HEPA-filters that capture 99.95 per cent of particles the size of bacteria (0.3 microns) from the washroom air. 

As a result you’re drying your hands with clean air, not dirty washroom air. They’re also touch-free, activated by hovering your hand under the sensor, mitigating cross contamination risks.  

Other advantages highlighted by the multi-function design are that it saves space, is 39 per cent quieter than its predecessor and reduces slipping hazards from water dripping from people’s hands which also improves hygiene.    

“We know damp hands can transfer up to 1,000 times more bacteria than dry hands, while wiping hands on clothes can jeopardise the hand washing process,” said Dr Salome Giao, senior microbiologist and scientist at Dyson 

“As they can add bacteria to the washed hands if they are not clean.” 

Dyson Airblade technologies are also certified for use in the food manufacturing industry by HACCP International and proving how hygienic the product is, it’s also used in hospitals. 

More sustainable 

Dyson Airblade technologies have a Carbon Trust certification, based on its ability to produce only 3.6g of C02 each day, down from the 4g produced by earlier models.  

They also result in 79 per cent less C02 use than single-use paper towels.  

On top of the carbon reduction, the Dyson Airblade technologies also use 52 per cent less water than other offerings in the market, with a flow of just 1.9 l/min, compared to the previous model which had a flow of 4 l/min.  

At the Silver Ferns site, installation of the new product reduced water usage from 6 litres per wash to around just 1 litre.  

Impact 

Riordon Dickson, procurement category manager at Silver Fern Farms, said the reduction in water usage would have both environmental and commercial benefits, including by eliminating the need for paper towel.  

“A unit installed into one of our primary butchery areas reduced single-use paper towel consumption from 230 single-use paper towels per day to zero,” said Dickson. The ease of use of the Dyson product was another big advantage, said Silver Fern Farms engineering manager, Alan Carr.  

“They have a great design, and waste is easily and efficiently washed down the sink.  

“Straight away our employees were on board and giving us positive feedback. The trial shows sustainability in action to our people, with an obvious reduction in waste and water use, as well as fast, hygienic cleaning for our people moving through the service area.”  

The Dyson Airblade Wash+Dry hand dryer is capable of being installed at any food and beverage manufacturing site across Australia, all of which require the highest level of hygiene when washing and drying hands to mitigate cross contamination.