Sustainable School Uniforms

In 2019, Labour Behind the Label launched the Trutex school uniform campaign; seeking to gain more transparency from Trutex, the UK’s largest specialist school wear brand. 

It is estimated that British parents spend a total of £1.2 billion on school clothing and equipment annually, meaning companies like Trutex make an enormous profit every year. Labour Behind the Label launched a petition in 2019 to demand that Trutex release their supplier list and provide evidence that they are committed to ethical production as their website vaguely claimed.

As a result of their campaign, Labour Behind the Label has had several discussions with Trutex and established that the company is working positively in certain areas and have since published a Corporate Sustainability Report, listing all their suppliers. More information about the campaign’s success can be read on Labour Behind the Label’s website.

The petition is yet another example of the impact one group of people can have when they call out brands and demand change. The resurgence of the campaign is also an important reminder as the new academic terms begins this week.

Last year, the Department of Education published a study stating that parents spend an average of £230 per child on school uniform (excluding PE kit). This is an enormous expense, and one which costs our planet dearly. Whilst sourcing school supplies from large stores such as supermarkets is convenient and cheap, often these companies have some of the worst track records in sustainability or the wellbeing of garment workers.

Whilst buying organic school uniforms is often not cheap, this is not the only way to shop green. Below are a few options which may appeal to families seeking to go ‘Back to School’ without breaking the bank or harming the environment.

1.     Reuse

95% of school uniforms can be reused or recycled, and this will most likely be the case for your children’s. We live in a society where we place too much value on the ‘new’, and perhaps we can take a moment to dig out last year’s uniform and try it on before racing out to re-stoke their school wardrobe. A few stains and tears are no reason to throw out old uniforms, especially if they can be patched up.

If children have outgrown their uniform, save it for their younger siblings or reach out to parents from your school and see if they want it. This could turn into a uniform exchange; ask around and see if other families have any school items they no longer need and swap/buy them.

There are also plenty of online services where second-hand uniforms can be purchased and sold: oldschooluniform.co.uk, Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree, Preloved and second-hand services at your school or around town.

2.     Buy items which last

This can be tricky when children seem to grow out of their clothes in a matter of months, but there are some items which can be kept for a long time such as school bags and pencil cases (and shoes when feet finally stop growing!).

Many brands sell items guaranteed to last, such as Patagonia and Dr Martens. The site Buy Me Once offers advice on brands which guarantee long-lasting products.

3.     Go organic

This is the most expensive option, but a fantastic one if you can afford it. The marketplace is slowly catching up to the increasing demand for more sustainable products, and so we will begin to see more eco-friendly uniform options at more competitive prices.

For the time being it is worth doing the research into brands which sell eco-uniforms, such as EcoOutfitters.

Aside from clothing, there is an endless supply of sustainable Back to School items such as recycled pens, pencils and notebooks which are inexpensive, eco-friendly and very cool.

4.     Make some demands

Just as we’ve seen from Labour Behind the Label’s school uniform campaign, changes can be made. Perhaps now is the perfect time to start your own campaign; reach out to your usual school uniform supplier and demand more sustainable options. While it is easy to feel powerless as one consumer, you might be surprised at how many other parents feel the same as you and a collective call to action will make an enormous difference.

The pressure to buy new is an unfortunate phenomenon in our capitalist society, and it’s not an easy habit to break - especially with the stress of holidays coming to an end and the new term beginning. However, there are ways of tweaking the back to school buying rush to have less impact on planet and people. Every little helps after all…