Arco, the UK’s leading safety company, has launched a new responsible hi-visibility clothing range designed in collaboration with Stuff4Life, a polyester recycling start-up that features garments designed for circularity. The eight initial launch items include short-sleeve t-shirts, short sleeve and long sleeve polo shirts, waistcoats, sweatshirts, fleeces, softshells and overcoats.
As a key supplier of hi-visibility clothing, Arco is committed to addressing the problem of what to do with garments that have reached the end of their useful life. As a result, the garments in the responsible hi-vis range have been designed to last longer, are made from certified recycled and responsibly sourced materials and developed with end of life in mind, focussing on the recyclability of materials.
Designed with life-extending features, the responsible hi-vis range has been developed to increase the longevity of the clothing. Garments are tested to retain integrity, dimensional stability, UV protection and color fastness to above the average number of washes – knitwear and trousers are certified for up to 50 washes – twice the typical use cycle – which reduces the need for replacement and reduces carbon emissions.
All garments are made using 100% Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certified recycled polyester and have been sourced and produced ethically by GRS-certified manufacturers*. To improve efficiency and reduce additional component usage, labeling has been printed directly onto the garment. All additional components, including poppers, toggles, zips, ribs, cuffs, neckbands and collars, are made from recycled polyester so do not need to be removed before entering the recycling process.
The hi-vis range has been developed in conjunction with Stuff4Life and can be recycled using their patent-pending chemical recycling solution that’s currently being scaled-up. Once a garment comes to the end of its life, the recovered materials from the recycling process become valuable raw materials that can be transformed back into new polyester yarn for garment production over and over again. This more sustainable approach to re-creating raw materials helps to significantly decrease the environmental footprint of manufacturing, playing a pivotal role in the shift towards a circular economy.
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, commented: “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 Arco Responsible hi-vis clothing line includes garments that have been designed for all weathers and temperatures and conform to the relevant hi-vis safety standards. The range includes interactive outdoor clothing and garments with UV protection, wicking properties and other practical features.
