Environmentally friendly workwear for Churchill teams

Sustainability is a central factor in all of our tender processes, with sustainable uniforms becoming a key part of our overall environmental offering. One way that we are delivering on this is through a partnership with uniform provider HeathBrook to use its EarthPro® uniform range for one major client.

The collection is certified to the Global Recycling Standard (GRS) and aims to increase the use of recycled materials in products to reduce and eliminate the harm caused by textile production. GRS sets the standards for recycled content and the Chain of Custody. This is an accreditation that provides assurance that garments are independently audited to confirm that they are sustainably produced and that they contain fully recycled material such as post-consumer recycled (PCR) polyester.

How is it made?

The EarthPro® collection is made from PCR polyester, helping to tackle the issues surrounding sustainability head on. Discarded plastic found in our rivers and oceans across the planet is one of the most visible signs of environmental destruction and is also the material that is gathered to create the garments.

Once collected and sorted, the waste plastic is crushed into small flakes that are then purified and ‘re-polymerised’ into chips of polyester. At this stage the material can be treated in the same way as a virgin polyester and is then spun into fibres and woven or knitted into fabric pieces used in the collection.

A closed loop solution is created by using already-existing materials, with the items able to be recycled and repurposed at the end of their life. It is a complex procedure, as the mix and composition of a fabric determines how the garment can be recycled. EarthPro® is recycled under a 3-tier system that suits the specific fabric mix for each garment, meaning they can be recycled into other garments, insulation, geotextiles, sound boarding, or melted into chips again to create new fabrics.

Churchill and sustainability

We are committed to our sustainability goals, and aim to achieve Net Zero by 2040. Our EcoVadis Gold Award in 2022 was a landmark for our progress in this area of the business. We have committed to science-based targets and signed up to the SFMI. 2023 will continue to be a year of growth and discovery as we find new ways to integrate change into the work across all of Churchill.

Working with HeathBrook to develop our staff uniforms and improve our bid scope for clients enables us to continue this development path. In fact, in one recent contract win for a large, prestigious retail estate client, we will be supplying hundreds of staff with sustainable uniforms, and it was a key factor for our tender success.

Being able to clearly demonstrate our environmental credentials and commitment to sustainability through changes like these are all steps in the right direction.