Dressed to divest

When Louize was looking for new uniforms for staff at Canberra’s Vikings Club, she decided to prioritise sustainability in her choice.

She chose uniforms that will help to reduce fabrics made from fossil fuels and plastic waste in the ocean. The uniforms can also be recycled at the end of life, reducing landfill.

Louize's initiative earned the Vikings Group an award at the Climate Choices Business Awards.

The challenge

“Polyester is a fantastic material for hospitality uniforms. It doesn’t need ironing, stains come out easily and it’s colourfast,” said Louize, Vikings Group Sports and Community Manager.

“Unfortunately, most polyester is made from fossil fuels. When it came to ordering new uniforms, I decided to challenge the status quo and look for a more sustainable product.

The action

“O’Neills sportswear told us about Repreve fabric. This fabric is made from recycled plastic bottles, most of which have been recovered from the ocean. The Vikings Club were the first company in Australia to use Repreve for their staff uniforms.

“The fabric has properties like wicking, adaptive warming and cooling and water repellence. The fabric is also fully recyclable. At the end of their useful life, shirts are returned to the manufacturer to be recycled into new polyester. This means the shirts are having a zero impact on landfill.

“We also engaged with Upparell to recycle the old uniforms. Upparell’s carbon neutral couriers collect textiles which are then shredded and recycled into insulation.

The benefit

“Through our engagement with Upparell, 135kg of textiles were diverted from landfill and 473kg of greenhouse gas emissions were avoided.

“By choosing Repreve for our new uniforms, we are sending a signal to manufacturers that fossil fuel fabrics are no longer acceptable.

“We have shared the story of our new uniforms with our staff and members. They have congratulated us for sourcing a material that has a purposeful impact on the environment.

“We were proud to receive the Innovation Excellence Award for our pioneering choice of apparel.”

Is your business, organisation or event making efforts to reduce waste, increase sustainability and lower its carbon footprint? Get recognised with a Climate Choices Business Award!