What to do with
Corporate workwear
Want to recycle corporate workwear but not sure if you can?
Items of clothing can be recycled but if it is badged with a company logo, read our advice on this page. To find out where your nearest recycling facilities are located, use our Recycling Locator tool.
Advice for Employees
Corporate wear is clothing and footwear provided to employees by an employer. It includes workwear, protective wear, corporate casual wear and uniforms.
When you leave your job or if are issued with new set of workwear, most employers will ask you to return your old uniform to them. This is normally to avoid the uniforms being re-used inappropriately. Ask your employer what they would like you to do with your uniform if they don't ask for it to be returned. Otherwise, recycle them at your nearest clothing or footwear recycling point.
Advice for Employers
Trying to find out which recyclers or charities are prepared to accept corporate wear can be difficult. The barriers are:
- Uniforms are often made using blended fibres that are currently impossible to recycle easily. Technologies for separating fibre blends are not yet commercially available - and it could be some time before they are.
- Deconstruction is not always considered in the design and manufacture of corporate wear: if it's complex to disassemble, it can be difficult to recycle.
A service called Uniform Reuse has been set up to help businesses find the best solution for disposing of corporate workwear in an environmental and socially responsible way. If you are interested in finding out more visit their website - http://www.uniformreuse.co.uk/uniform-recycling.php