There are a number of new themes that are starting to take shape, some of which are more established while others are still in their early stages. Consider the reshoring phenomenon, for instance. In the 1980s, we saw a rush on the part of many businesses to relocate or outsource their manufacturing to Asia and use Asian suppliers in an effort to substantially cut production costs. However, due to a number of market disruptions as pandemics and dramatic increases in transportation costs, there is now a need to shorten production and supply chains in order to reduce any issues with the availability of raw materials and speed up manufacturing processes. In order to guarantee continuity and certainty of supply to its customers, BLS has always favoured Europe as the location of its production sites, using exclusively European suppliers.

For many, sustainability is a trend, for BLS, it is a standard to be committed to. In fact, in order to reduce waste, our engineers and designers assess each material at the earliest stages of product design, not only in terms of performance requirements but also in terms of its degree of recyclability or, where this aspect is not currently relevant, its durability.

The idea of smart PPE is another trend that has been developing in the PPE industry for a while and is expected to have widespread adoption. IoT and personal protective equipment work to move the focus away from protection towards prevention, in order to transform how people perceive safety. Although there are still gaps in the law and regulations that need to be filled, PPE is becoming more active and aims to provide the operator with greater comfort while also giving the safety manager access to data that will make it easier to monitor and evaluate how well the PPE is being used.

For a long time, PPE manufacturers have concentrated their efforts on developing "universal" products that could be used by all users. In reality, we have come to the conclusion that one piece of PPE, no matter how carefully designed and shaped, is very unlikely to fit a wide array of facial conformations in a multiethnic working environment with a large female presence. BLS multi-fit system concept reflects our focus on offering as many products as possible in various sizes to ensure comfort and great fit on all faces.

Finally, let's not forget that for years now many industrial sites have chosen vending machines as the method of dispensing PPE to their employees. The automatic distribution of the devices entails special attention to hygiene requirements, which must be respected both by those who load the machines and by the user who picks up the product and does not necessarily use it immediately. Always attentive to this aspect, BLS offers almost all of its products, including disposable ones, in practical and hygienic single packs.