Case Studies

When you see our approach to recyclable headwear, you’ll doff your cap!

Challenge

There’s no point in burying your head in the sand. Branded headwear does eventually get thrown out, and it will invariably end up in landfill. That is, unless it’s come from us. The issue of apparel going into landfill is a huge one generally and especially for the fast fashion industry. But always on the quest for sustainable, alternative solutions, we’ve tackled this one head on. We wanted to find a way to ensure every element of our branded caps and beanies is not just able to be recycled but builds in an incentive and ease of recycling for the end consumer. After all, it’s not just a process recycling depends on, but consumer behaviour.

Action

First of all, there’s a detailed manufacturing process. Headwear can be made from recycled bottles and even embroidered with 100% recycled thread. All headwear goes through a painstaking process working closely with our suppliers to ensure every element can be recycled. So the fabric can be recycled, and reused for different purposes. On caps, the plastic from the peak can be recycled and used for plastic manufacturing, and the metal button on the top and the buckle used for metal manufacturing.

Then, to encourage consumers to recycle rather than dispose of their headwear, labels are sown in with simple messaging to encourage them to recycle. We even work with suppliers to provide specialist recycling bins to keep on business premises.

Once exhausted headwear is returned, this is what happens;

1. Textiles are securely destroyed by our supplier and their partner with an innovative custom-built cross-cut industrial shredder.
2. The textiles are broken down into smaller pieces, ensuring your brand is protected. The fibres from this process can then be used for recycled yarn.
3. Practices are in line and compliant with the following accreditations: ISO 9001 & 14001, BS EN: 15713 2009 and BS 7858.
4. After the textiles are destroyed, they are baled into mill size bales and sent to specialist mills to start the next phase: the recycling phase.
5. The recycled fibres go through the process of stretching where they are transformed into a wide range of products from insulation, geotextiles and more.

Impact

The winning impact of the quality and attention to detail in our branded headwear is keeping discarded items out of landfill, and enabling the elements to go onto another use, creating a truly circular product.

In fact, who would have thought so much good could come out of a hat? With the recycled elements going back into textile, plastic, metal, car manufacturing, and even Energy from Waste, our branded headwear stands head and shoulders above the rest.