Category Archives: Recycled

Global Recycling Day 2025

The clothing industry has a significant impact on the waste management crisis, contributing to a staggering amount of waste that ends up in landfills every year. Fast fashion, in particular, has accelerated this problem, with brands producing cheap, trendy clothing at an alarming rate. This results in consumers buying more clothes than they need, often wearing items only a few times before discarding them. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the fashion industry produces more than 92 million tons of waste annually, and a large portion of this waste is due to the disposal of clothing that could have been reused or recycled.


The environmental consequences of this waste crisis are dire. Landfills are overflowing, and the decomposition of synthetic fibres can take hundreds of years, releasing harmful greenhouse gases in the process. Additionally, the production of new clothing requires vast amounts of natural resources, including water and energy, which further strains our planet. The pollution generated by textile manufacturing also poses significant risks to ecosystems and human health, making the need for sustainable solutions more urgent than ever.

Recycled clothing presents a viable alternative to help mitigate these issues. By choosing recycled garments, consumers can reduce the demand for new clothing production, thereby conserving resources and minimizing waste. Recycling clothing not only keeps textiles out of landfills but also reduces the environmental footprint associated with manufacturing new items.

In today’s world, sustainability is more than just a trend; it’s a necessity. Companies are increasingly recognizing the importance of adopting eco-friendly practices, and one impactful way to do this is by using recycled uniforms or merchandise.

Recycled uniforms can be just as durable and stylish as traditional options. Advances in textile technology have made it possible to create high-quality, functional uniforms from recycled materials that meet the demands of various industries. Companies can maintain a professional appearance while also contributing to a healthier planet. Take a look at the wide range of recycled workwear we have to offer. If you can’t see what you are looking for, get in touch and one of our sales team will be happy to help!

In conclusion, the decision to use recycled garments is a win-win for businesses, employees, and the environment. By making this change, companies can reduce waste, enhance their brand image, and promote sustainability in a tangible way.

Premier Aprons

Premier workwear is an established company who have been supplying to trade suppliers for many years.  One of their key products is aprons, they have a huge range of styles, colours, and ethical certifications. 

Our customers

Although we manufacturer and supply bespoke made to order aprons, some of our customers choose stock options because it fits in with their deadline, budget or requirements.  These are quite often premier aprons as they have a range that caters for many requirements.

Ethical

Premier aprons have several styles which have ethical credentials such as Fairtrade, organic or recycled. This is an area that we specialise in, particularly on our other site Cotton Roots.

Premium

If you are looking for something that is more of a premium look, premier aprons have a selection that may suit the style you need such as an artisan, industrial or bistro.

Colours

One of the big advantages of premier aprons is their huge colour range. They have over 60 colours accross all their styles which makes it perfect for someone who needs a small quantity or has a short lead time but needs a Pantone matched colour. 

Apron specialists

If you need to source aprons for your business, we can help you with stock and bespoke options. We supply restaurants, outside caterers, street food chains, hotels, food brands, nurseries and many other business’s . We can help you find the best style and colour for your branding. Contact the design team today on 01908 290482

Feel Good Manufacturing

I have been working for Impact Trading and Cotton Roots for just over a year and right from the start; in fact a long time before I started I knew what they did.

They supply uniform, print, embroidery and also bespoke garments including aprons. Yes, that’s right!

But what I didn’t know is all the other little things they do that make this place quite unique.  In fact when I started asking the team all the ways they reuse, recycle and try to reduce, it had become so normal for them that they were struggling to even think of them.

Katt and Liz save all their fabric scraps and at the same time Karen, Ros and Kelly save the middle of the thread roles, all this is donated to local schools and groups for arts and crafts, while courier bags are used by one of our suppliers to separate stock which drives us slightly crazy, they are completely unused so we donate them to local friends and businesses.

Karen revealed today that metal collar clips that come off some of the dress shirts work perfectly as paperclips and cardboard inserts are kept to put at the top of packed boxes before they are sealed, this keeps the garments are protected when the box is opened.

All the boxes that come into warehouse are reused and we don’t stop there! We are currently talking to suppliers about reducing packaging on orders we receive and Tina and her team in the office are encouraging customers to select the no plastic packing option or at the very least, multi bagging which means we are constantly reducing our plastic usage.

As you would expect we also recycle everything that we can’t reuse and we are constantly looking for more ways to reduce, reuse and recycle which includes the development of biodegradable box bags which we hope to be introducing very soon.

Jackets with Recycled Fibres for The Salvation Army

We had an interesting order recently.  The Salvation were back ordering from us.  Last year they ordered a large number of Fairtrade T shirts which we printed with the salvation Army crest.

This year we have supplied their Youth Band with jackets containing at least 25% recycled fibres.  We have quite a range of different jackets –  jackets made with recycled fibres and you really can’t tell the difference.  I’m not sure if this is a good thing or not!

We have also supplied recycled fleece jackets to the Chalvington and Northampton Recycling Teams for quite a few years,  and a number of Wildlife Trusts order recycled caps embroidered with the wildlife logo.

Jackets Made with Recycled Fibres for The Salvation Army Youth Band