Recyclable hi-vis clothing has been developed – made from recycled materials and able to be recycled after use.
Images from Arco’s responsible hi-vis range.
New t-shirts, short sleeve and long sleeve polo shirts, waistcoats, sweatshirts, fleeces, softshells and overcoats have been created for health and safety professionals.
They have been developed by safety company Arco and designed in collaboration with polyester recycling start-up Stuff4Life.
Dalvir Sarkaria, Product and Procurement Manager at Arco, said: “Customers are placing growing significance on making responsible product choices.
“As a result, we recognised a clear requirement to develop and introduce a new range of products with the aim of supporting customers to achieve their sustainability objectives.
“The launch of our Arco Responsible hi-vis range is an exciting moment for us and demonstrates our continued commitment to delivering on our strategic plan for sustainability – A Safe Tomorrow – and by supporting our customers’ desires to make responsible choices for their business.
“Using a complete circular approach, the range can offer assurance to customers with proven sustainable credentials whilst remaining excellent quality and competitively priced.”
John Twitchen, Founder of Stuff4Life, said: “We’ve worked closely with Arco’s product development team on the new range.
“Our input has helped to reduce the impact of garments in design, in use and at end of life.
“In tandem, we have developed our polyester depolymerisation process to ensure the maximum recovery of polyester-rich garments and enable the supply of as-good-as-new products back into the supply chain, driven by the ambition of delivering a truly circular process.”
The garments in the responsible hi-vis range have been designed to last longer, be used in all weathers and temperatures, are made from certified recycled and responsibly sourced materials and conform to the relevant hi-vis safety standards.
All additional parts, including poppers, toggles, zips, ribs, cuffs, neckbands and collars, are made from recycled polyester too.
The range includes interactive outdoor clothing and garments with UV protection, wicking properties and other practical features – they have been tested to retain integrity, dimensional stability, UV protection and colourfastness to above the average number of washes.
Once the clothing comes to the end of its life it can be recycled and transformed back into new polyester yarn for garment production over and over again.
The Safety Conversation with SHP (previously the Safety and Health Podcast) aims to bring you the latest news, insights and legislation updates in the form of interviews, discussions and panel debates from leading figures within the profession.
Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts, subscribe and join the conversation today!
