Sustainable workwear is becoming an increasingly common topic. Workwear manufacturers are busy developing new innovations, and employers are always proud to say that their old textiles are being recycled or that their new uniforms are made from sustainable materials. But how important is sustainable workwear to employees themselves? And how do they feel about the way their clothing is handled? A new study tells us everything.

European employees value sustainability

The Lindström Group, a textile rental company active in both Asia and Europe, recently asked 2,276 employees from 11 European countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Türkiye) for their opinions on workwear. All participants work in the manufacturing industry, and the group is evenly split by gender (50% women and 50% men).

Around 80% of European employees say that sustainability is important in their personal lives. But at work, their employers seem to be less focused on it. About 43% of respondents do not know what happens to their old workwear, while 58% would like to know more about how sustainable their clothing actually is.

Of the 57% who do know where their old clothing ends up, half say it goes to landfill or is incinerated. The other half indicates that it is reused in sustainable projects. When clothing is damaged, nearly half say their employer repairs it or arranges repairs. Among the remaining respondents, 22% repair the clothing themselves, while 30% say it is thrown away.

Türkiye leads the way in sustainability

The above numbers represent averages, but there are large differences between European countries. Türkiye is a frontrunner when it comes to sustainable workwear. When workwear is damaged, 93% say the clothing is repaired by the employer, an external party, or the employee themselves.

Employees in Türkiye are also much better informed about what happens to their clothing. Only 16% do not know where their old workwear goes, and among those who do know, more than half say it is recycled.

Americans share the same values

Although no study has asked American employees the exact same questions, they seem to share similar ideas about sustainability. A 2023 KPMG study showed that, just like Europeans, 80% of Americans consider sustainability important in general.

Although both Europeans and Americans value sustainability, most actual recycling takes place in Asia. In 2023, 44.97% of global textile recycling occurred there. This is partly because countries like China, India, and Japan have invested in recycling technologies for many years. As a result, not only local and regional textiles but also large amounts of European textile waste are sent there for sorting and recycling.

This makes the concept of recycling workwear a bit complex: how sustainable is it really when you have to ship clothing overseas by plane or boat to have it processed elsewhere? Would it not be better to recycle textiles locally and create more jobs within one’s own country? Fortunately, Europe is already working hard on this. Want to know how European countries collaborate on sustainable workwear? Check out my column “Is a national or international approach to workwear recycling the solution?”