Insight December 2022

Blazing a trail

Sarah Robins, Sustainability Manager, Banner Group.

In November, the world’s leaders and climate experts met at COP 27 in Egypt, working to hammer out the next round of commitments to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. As is often the case, progress was slow and relations were fractious. Watching the reports on my laptop I rather wished they could have met in the less glamourous settings that our industry chooses for its annual get together of suppliers.

Attending this year’s Schoolwear Show I was struck by how much progress we had made in our sustainability journey as an industry. Everywhere I looked I saw actions and ideas underway. Here at Banner we are proud to be playing a leading role, but the momentum clearly comes from more than any one business — and that’s a good thing.

For although we all want to want to outpace the competition, it’s not much of a race if others don’t keep up. The dynamism of a healthy market is what creates the conditions for new ideas and inventions — and no amount of regulation can ever replace this. What’s more, we won’t convince schools and parents of the importance of sustainability if there are only one or two manufacturers investing in the future.

Indeed, as I walked around the stands, I wondered how many industries could demonstrate our level and pace of change?

Of course, there were many familiar garments, and let’s be honest, blazers look much the same as they always have. But every major supplier now has a sustainability strategy, and none of us can ignore the changing of the tide. We are moving inevitably, and ever faster towards a more sustainable future for uniforms and those who resist it will get washed away.

And that wave of change is not just about eco-fabrics. I was delighted to see the growing emphasis on the lifecycle of uniform, recycling schemes, second hand sales and charity distributions. All these have

a part to play in a more sustainable future. As does ethical manufacture and responsible retailing. And perhaps most of all involving young people so that our designs reflect the values they associated with.

I could go on, but the central point is that we have an excellent story to tell. And that unlike the fractious meetings at Cop 27, the schoolwear industry has an opportunity to work together promoting the good we do. Uniform is the opposite of fast fashion; it endures because it is founded in values as much as value for money. And that for me is source of pride, and something we should all be proud to shout about too.