Circular tender criteria for professional clothing

Business in the Community supported Integral UK Ltd on including circular principles in their new workwear tender. The bids were assessed through a balanced scorecard, and suppliers could earn extra points by indicating what innovative approach they would use to keep improving over the course of the contract. This positively pushed the market to innovate. The selected supplier, who was also the existing supplier, offered new circular solutions, such as a return-for-recycling system, and shirts designed to be 100% recyclable. Given the company’s turnaround of 3000 garments annually, the estimated saving potential is 11 tonnes CO2 per year.