Dyson’s low energy hand dryers are helping Welcome Break to reduce its carbon footprint, with the hand dryers emitting 85% less CO₂ than single-use paper towels.[1]

Global research and technology company Dyson for Business, and the UK’s leading motorway service provider Welcome Break, are announcing details of a recent partnership which is helping Welcome Break to deliver its sustainability goals by using the latest washroom technology.

The company has installed over 450 Dyson Airblade 9kJ low energy hand dryers across all of its 44 service areas and 31 hotels in the UK. Each hand dryer uses only a sixth of the energy of conventional dryers, corresponding to 9.1 kilojoules of energy per use, and captures 99.95% of particles through its HEPA filter – helping Welcome Break’s 85 million annual visitors dry their hands hygienically and efficiently.[2]

In the wake of COP26 and the implementation of the Government’s Net Zero strategy, businesses are racing to reduce their carbon footprint.^[3] One of the main areas where major sustainability gains can be seen is in the washroom. Globally, millions of tonnes of paper towels are used every year, with most going into landfill since they cannot be recycled.^[4] But with research showing that damp hands can transfer up to 1,000 times more bacteria than dry hands, customers must be able to dry their hands thoroughly and sustainably.^[5]

Dyson’s innovative technologies negate these concerns. All Dyson hand dryers include air-cleaning HEPA filters and touchless activation as standard. Dyson hand dryers are just as hygienic as using a paper towel, and the Airblade 9kJ model produces up to 88% less CO₂ than paper towels.^[6],^[7] Implementing this simple change to its UK washrooms is helping Welcome Break to further its mission of becoming the greenest motorway service, while boosting hygiene levels for customers.

Tom Crawford, Global Director of Sustainability at Dyson said: “Dyson was founded on a principle of lean engineering and doing more with less when it comes to our technologies and how we do business. We applied the same philosophy to the development of our hand dryers, making wasteful paper towels redundant with the launch of the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer. Working with Welcome Break to help the company boost sustainability and hygiene in its washrooms nationwide aligns perfectly with our own goals and we are excited to see how the partnership continues to benefit visitors in the future.”

Martyn Brett-Lee, Commercial Director at Welcome Break said: “We are delighted to have installed Dyson Airblade technology across our Welcome Break locations. On our mission to become a more sustainable Motorway Service Area Operator, reducing our CO2 emissions is key and Dyson’s Airblade technology is one of the many ways we’re driving this. Given the last few years we’ve all experienced, we’re pleased to provide our customers assurances that their hand drying is with HEPA-filtered, clean air.”

Dyson for Business offers high quality products for professional settings including its award-winning hand dryers and air purifiers. From motorway services to education establishments, Dyson for Business offers peace of mind through its use of the latest technology and engineering innovation.

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[1] Average electricity price £0.1/kWh as of December 2018: See our calculations.

[2] https://www.dyson.co.uk/commercial/hand-dryers/airblade-9kj

^[3] Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener, HM Government, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1033990/net-zero-strategy-beis.pdf

^[4] https://www.dyson.co.uk/inside-dyson/sustainability/overview

^[5] Epidemiology & Infection, Residual moisture determines the level of touch-contact-associated bacterial transfer following hand washing, December 1997

^[6] Frontiers Public Health, Aerosols and Bacteria From Hand Washing and Drying in Indoor Air, 2022 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.804825/full

^[7] Average electricity price £0.1/kWh as of December 2018. See our calculations.