Employers urged to use sustainable materials in staff uniforms
Employers are being urged to ditch fast fashion for staff uniforms and opt for Fairtrade clothing.
The Fairtrade at Work campaign was launched earlier this week at the national centre for the circular economy, the Rediscovery Centre in Ballymun, Dublin.
Workplace chiefs are being encouraged to ditch cheap low-quality clothing and instead buy sustainable aprons, shirts, hoodies and office wear that will last.
Peter Gaynor, Fairtrade Ireland's executive director, said their aim is for Fairtrade cotton clothing to be as common in the workplace as Fairtrade coffee.
He said: 'Imagine, working people wearing clothes or uniforms made using organic textiles like cotton grown with non-toxic fertilisers and by farmers who get paid fairly.
'Cotton is like gold to those who farm it. They depend on it. It is one of the world's biggest crops and yet so many of those who work to farm it get very little in return and that's before it is brought to the textile factories.
'Farmers who produce Fairtrade cotton get a decent price so they can provide for themselves and their families and in return they produce a higher quality product.'
Currently, Fairtrade cotton is grown by around 41,000 farmers worldwide.
In 2023, Fairtrade-certified cotton production reached 48,000 metric tonnes. However, this is still less than 1% of the 25 million tonnes of cotton grown annually.
Roger Warburton, programme director at the Rediscovery Centre, said it's time employers got on board with sustainable uniforms, as there is growing interest from the public to buy and wear ethically sourced clothes.
He said: 'Many people want to know that the items they buy have not been produced in a way that hurt anyone and they also don't want something that is hurting the environment.
'As the national centre for the circular economy, we strive toward a society that is fair, inclusive and that thrives within natural resource limits.
'We think Fairtrade cotton deserves to be on every workplace's shopping list when they are purchasing workwear.'
His staff wears Fairtrade cotton polo shirts, supplied by Gerard Whelan of Tipperary-based SustainableWorkwear. ie.
With companies like his, Gerard says it's simple for employers to opt for sustainable clothing for uniforms.
Companies and organisations that want to make their workplaces more ethical by using Fairtrade cotton clothing can go to Fairtrade Ireland's website or contact info@fairtrade.ie.
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