December 2023

Workwear Choices
Continued from page 54
by some cheaper workwear brands is a 'take, make,
dispose' practice for producing cheap clothing. Once
those garments have reached the end of their
useful life, wearers dispose of them, without any
real consideration for environmental impact.
Snickers Workwear’s philosophy is to 'Reduce,
Reuse, Recycle'. This approach involves reducing
the resources used during a garment’s
production; turning waste into workwear by
incorporating recycled fibres into its garment
materials technology; and developing harderwearing
workwear using sustainable fabrics to
keep the garments in effective use for as long as
possible.
Snickers Workwear’s vision is to be at the
forefront of sustainable workwear by using
smarter solutions and technologies that include
sourcing the highest quality, most hard-wearing
products in its clothing ranges, with as little
environmental impact as possible. Some of the
steps the brand is taking to improve its
environmental performance includes:
• Prioritising the use of materials of the highest
quality to make garments last longer, replacing
conventional materials with more sustainable
alternatives.
• Prioritising Preferred Fibres – such as
REPREVE and SORONA – those that have more
sustainable properties in comparison to
conventional options.
• Recycling man-made materials such as nylon
and polyester fabrics to create new, Preferred
Fibres.
• Ensuring that Preferred Fibres deliver high
levels of durability and comfort to ensure a long
product lifetime – the key to reducing waste.
• Using materials that can easily be recycled to
create new raw material with the same
performance level as the original virgin material.
• Driving demand for Better Cotton, an initiative
which positively impacts farmers and the
environment.
Sustainable product development and the initiative for
turning Waste into Workwear is being applied to every new
product in the Snickers Workwear collection.
“Cheap protective wear
comes with a hidden
cost – because of its
short life cycle it’s not
sustainable and our
environment is starting
to pay the price”
• Committing to conscious cotton choices – in
2022 an impressive 65% (846 Metric Tonnes), of
Snickers Workwear’s total cotton uptake was
sourced as Better Cotton.
• Using more sustainable colouring processes
that significantly reduces water, chemicals and
energy use – commonly referred to as dope dye.
• Using ‘Mulesing-Free’ Merino Wool to prevent
animal cruelty.
How can you make a difference?
As workwear manufacturers navigate the complex
and challenging transition to more sustainable
business models, you can support them by asking
how sustainable the garments that you’re buying
actually are. Also, by choosing those brands that
are committed to improving sustainability. Things
you can do include:
• Avoid Fast Workwear and cheap protective
wear products.
• Invest in better quality workwear – select
products that are built to last and that can be
kept in use as long as possible.
• Identify workwear brands who are extending
the lifespan of their workwear.
Finally…
Increasing levels of awareness about the impact
of waste on our environment will surely have an
impact on the clothes people choose for working
on site in years to come.
For Snickers Workwear, sustainable product
development and the initiative for turning Waste
into Workwear is being applied to every new
product in the Snickers Workwear collection. It
brings additional assurance that the Snickers
Workwear Hallmarks of design, comfort,
functionality, durability and now sustainability will
not be compromised in any way.
Snickers Workwear’s objective is to ensure that
by 2030, 70% of the fabrics it uses are Preferred
Fibres – those with sustainable properties and a
lower environmental footprint. The target for 2023
– that the company will be at 40% has already
been reached – a significant achievement by any
measure. It’s a process that will deliver full
manufacturing transparency and garment lifecycle
traceability, thus reducing our climate impact and
preventing Fast Workwear from going into landfill.
Sustainable garment manufacturing aligned with
well-informed buying decisions will play a
significant part in helping us to achieve our
climate goals and securing the health of the
planet for future generations. But we must make
conscious decisions to be successful in
accelerating positive change.
As the Voice of the Daily Mirror recently said: ‘We
are what we wear to some extent and paying a little
more – even in a cost of living crisis – for clothes
we’ll keep longer and wear more often would be a
cultural change that would benefit the earth’.
Find out more about Snickers Workwear
www.snickersworkwear.co.uk
Email: sales@hultaforsgroup.co.uk
56 TC DECEMBER 2023