Workwear specialist Premier has announced that it is now a member of the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) as part of its drive for more sustainability.
The company is now actively placing orders for its cotton through the BCI programme that aims to help cotton-growing communities survive and thrive while protecting and restoring the environment.
A strategy in relation to sustainability – stated online at www.premierworkwear.com/sustainability – has been laid out by Premier Clothing’s managing director, Ian Milburn.
He said: “We have selected a number of renowned standards and certifications to help guide our sustainable growth over the next few years.
“Becoming members of the Better Cotton Initiative means that we are supporting farmers who input material into our supply chain and we aim to increase our support for farmers by buying increased amounts of ‘Better Cotton’ each year we are a member.”
The brand is also working towards achieving accreditation by the Global Recycled Standard (GRS) so it will be able to demonstrate certification for styles that contain more than 50% recycled polyester. Milburn estimates that Premier will have met the required standards for certification by June 2022.
Organic cotton is fully traceable in Premier’s PR102, PR113 and PR120 aprons as well as its PR247/PR347 chambray shirts.
Certification is also expected in the coming months from the Organic Content Standard (OCS) which will help give assurances to customers about the sustainable nature of these products.
Ian added: “Premier are working to measure environmental achievements within the business and this will include monitoring water, energy and emissions within our supply chain to compare our performance to global benchmarks.
“By doing this we can evaluate the progress that has been made, promote our accomplishments and to set new sustainable targets to continuously improve our environmental impact.”
