Case Studies

Used for old uniforms

by Mark Rowe

HMP Northumberland, managed by Sodexo Justice Services for two years, has partnered with online retailer Ocado and social enterprise charity Hubbub to repurpose old corporate uniforms into aprons and tote bags to be sold for charity.

At the All Party Parliamentary Group for Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion. Tony Simpson, director of HMP Northumberland, is speaking at Westminster about how purposeful activity for prisoners reduces the chance of reoffending.

It’s reckoned that two in seven working people in the UK wear a uniform. Nearly 33 million corporate garments are provided for their use and around 90% – 15,000 tonnes – goes to landfill or incineration each year.

The tote bags and aprons were designed by London sustainable fashion brand ‘everything in colour’ and will be sold to raise funds for the Ocado Foundation.

Tony Simpson said: “As a working prison our objective is to provide meaningful activity for prisoners to give them the best chance of finding employment upon release. Learning new skills and developing a strong work ethic are known to have a positive impact on reducing reoffending when offenders return into the community.”

Hubbub’s founder, Trewin Restorick said: “We hope offices, warehouses, shops and factories throughout the UK will recognise the scale of this environmental problem and see that by treating their old uniforms as a useful resource they can find creative solutions that build not only environmental benefits but social and financial ones too.

“Corporate uniforms are tricky to deal with. The last thing a company wants is for branded clothing to get into the wrong hands. But this project shows how, with creative thinking and a partnership approach, you can find solutions which go way beyond the obvious environmental benefits. With Ocado, designers ‘everything in colour’ and HMP Northumberland, we have created a range of sustainably created products with a social purpose, which promotes the rehabilitation and training of prisoners and supports a small start-up design business.”

Suzanne Westlake, Ocado’s Head of Corporate Responsibility said: “As a responsible retailer, we wanted to find a better solution to the problem of our unwanted uniforms in order to avoid them ending up in landfill. This innovative project has turned them into fantastic designer products and we hope our customers will show their support by buying them and helping generate funds for the Ocado Foundation.’’

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