Reports
Uniform Reuse has put together information on the 'best practice' approaches to corporate wear, and guidance on how to improve the sustainability of this type of clothing. Our information will help designers, buyers, wearers and end-of-life processors, as we believe all parts of the supply chain play a vital role in helping to reduce the environmental impact of corporate wear.
Alternative joining
With corporate clothing being highly branded, it can be difficult to reuse. Logo removal can be costly and resource intensive, and in some cases causes enough damage to inhibit reuse entirely. One idea worth considering is to disassemble the garments, which allows whole panels of fabric to be reused, with only the logoed panel needing to be replaced. Because it’s very time consuming to unpick conventional stitching, alternative joining mechanisms need to be considered for this process to be feasible. One option is heat bonding, in which adhesive and pressure are used in a reversible technique that could make disassembly easier.
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Alternative fibres and fabrics
One of the main problems for clothing reuse/recycling is not knowing what the fabric type is. But even if that is known, it’s not always clearly understood what the best options for recovery are for the different types. The wide range of garments used in the corporate clothing sector inevitably means that there is a range of fibres/fabrics used. And with specialist clothing performance it often means that blended - rather than single - yarns are used.
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Design for End-of-Life (EoL)
When designing corporatewear, it’s the primary users (the providers and wearers of garments) who drive the design decisions. Their main needs have been image, functionality and cost. But the corporatewear sector is becoming more interested in – and affected by – issues of sustainability.
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Textile labelling for improved end-of-life management
Labelling of products can be a great boon for many of the stakeholders across the clothing industry. It can act as a marketing tool for sales, a driver for improved sustainable practices, and is a practical way to inform the customer about a garment.
Read More...Taxation of corporate clothing
In order to prevent corporate clothing being used for other purposes, HMRC insist on the use of labels or logos to identify the clothing as corporatewear. At end-of-life, this can severely hinder the garments’ reuse, and is seen by many in the industry to be a somewhat out-of-date policy.
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Logo removal in corporatewear to enhance re-use potential
Logo removal is said to be one of the biggest hindrances in the reuse of corporate clothing.
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