How green is Respiray Wear A+? 

Clean air, with you, instantly 

With pollution levels constantly on the rise and increased health risks caused by poor air quality, the quest for effective portable clean air solutions has gained immense importance. Respiray Wear A+ is just one of several personal air purification devices currently on the market, all with their own design features and operating principles. In addition, there are other solutions available that aim to protect consumers from the various polluting particles found in the air we breathe, including face masks, air ionizers and stationary air purifiers. 

Are these solutions sustainable? The ideal world vs. the real world 

In an ideal world, the best solution for the health of our planet is to halt any kind of production and all man-made activities that contribute to pollution. However, we’ve reached a point of evolution as a race where this simply isn’t a realistic or viable solution if we hope to continue progressing, innovating and thriving. Instead, we must devise strategies and products that allow us to lead healthier lives without further damaging our environment; this is where personal air purification solutions come into the picture. 

Uncovering a product’s environmental impact 

When it comes to measuring its effect on the environment, every product goes through three main phases: 

Production is the process of designing and manufacturing the product, which creates environmental impacts through material and energy usage as well as transportation 

Usage refers to the impacts of using the product during its lifetime, for instance maintenance, replacement of parts and energy requirements 

Disposal means the way the product is disposed of at the end of its useful life – for instance, some products can be easily recycled while others tend to end up in landfill or incinerators 

Comparing the impacts of various “clean air” solutions 

Each of the three phases outlined above impacts the environment in different ways, so we’ve used them as parameters to evaluate the various solutions that seek to protect users by making their air safer to breathe: 

SOLUTION	PRODUCTION IMPACT	USAGE IMPACT	DISPOSAL IMPACT
Stationary air purifiers	High due to the amount of plastic and metal components, as well as transportation demands.	Significant due to the need to replace large HEPA filters. These devices also have high energy demands due to their large fans.	Low impact as these devices are often recycled, allowing the plastic and metal parts to be reused.
Disposable face masks	Low production impact.	Extremely high. Single-use masks contribute considerably to material wastage, and even reusable face masks have a limited lifetime.	High, due to rampant disposal in landfill, incinerators or natural habitats, which threatens wildlife.
Air ionizers	Moderate, made with less plastic and metal than stationary air purifiers.	Relatively low thanks to the absence of filters. However, their efficiency is questionable, meaning any materials and energy are largely wasted.	Low environmental impact when disposed of correctly.
Respiray Wear A+	Moderate; Wear A+ is produced using eco-friendly materials and efficient assembly methods.	Low. Consumes minimal power and uses resources efficiently; due to its small size, the material used to create one filter for an average stationary purifier is enough for 18 Wear A+ filters.	Designed with sustainability in mind. Easily disassembled for recycling, with minimal wastage.

Is Wear A+ a sustainable choice?