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Recycling of workwear and PPE has been an important topic within the industry for years. Various companies come up with their own projects to give discarded items a second life. But when every company handles this separately, it becomes a time-consuming and expensive task. That’s why Dutch workwear and PPE manufacturers have launched a joint recycling project. In this article, I’ll tell you all about it.
Dutch workwear and PPE manufacturers are competitors
I have to admit that when I read the news about this project, I felt a little proud. Proud of the Dutch workwear and PPE industry.
Over ten years ago, I got to know this industry as a competitive environment. One where providers mainly focus on their competitors and are reluctant to share knowledge and experience. After all, what if you give away information that could benefit someone else? I noticed this during presentations too. Hardly any questions were asked in group settings, while the same people would freely ask questions in one-on-one conversations.
In some ways, I understand that. In large parts of this industry, many similar products are made and sold. You’re dealing with standards and regulations, which makes it difficult to differentiate yourself. So many try to figure things out on their own.
Dutch workwear and PPE manufacturers launch joint recycling project
That’s exactly why I think it’s so great that a group of workwear and PPE manufacturers have now joined forces. The group includes All Safety, Allshoes Safety Footwear, EMMA Safety Footwear, Fristads Workwear-Benelux, HAVEP Work/Protective Wear, Hydrowear, Snickers Workwear, Steel Blue, and Van Heurck. That’s quite a collection of big names. Together, they’ve launched the Green Gear Alliance (GGA).
Through this foundation, various projects and collection points are being combined. The collection points for workwear and PPE remain physically accessible, but there is now one organization responsible for managing everything. This also means there is a fixed price for return shipments, sorting, and recycling of products.
Companies that join can choose from four different collection containers, suitable for collecting up to 180 kilograms of workwear and PPE. And since this is a non-profit foundation, there is no commercial profit involved.
Anne Line Jacobs, manager at GGA, emphasizes that GGA also provides insight into the actual impact of recycling. “Those who join the Green Gear Alliance can see in their personal dashboard how their collection contributes to PPE circularity – how much they’ve collected, how it’s processed, and what this means for the environment in terms of CO₂ reduction and water and energy savings.”
Room for improvement
According to Jacobs, an estimated fifteen kilotons of workwear are sold each year. Yet only 30,000 kilograms of clothing and 20,000 pairs of work shoes are collected for recycling. In short: there’s still a lot of room for improvement in this area. But work is definitely being done.
Well done!
Greetings,
Aileen