Evanston, June 8, 2021 – In honor of the World Ocean’s Day, healthcare apparel leader of design and innovation, Barco® Uniforms, recently announced they’ve collectively recycled over 40 million plastic bottles – marking a 115% year-over-year increase and reaching a new sustainability milestone.
The new milestone was accomplished partly by its record sales of its top-selling brands of sustainable healthcare scrubs, which relies on its innovative rPET design process. In this process, the plastic bottles are scrubbed, shredded down into small pellets, and spun into thread. The thread is finally woven into polyester.
“Healthcare professionals have shown a growing preference for brands that make a difference and are aligned with their values, with sustainability being at the top of the list,” explained Ron Wagenseil, president and CEO of Barco® Uniforms. “Barco’s commitment to improving its sustainable practices is a natural extension of our mission to lead with purposeful innovation.
In 2016, Barco® Uniforms launched the Barco One sustainable brand of scrubs, which include anti-static and temperature-regulating properties. It featured stain-resistant fabric. It also releases animal hair quickly from the surface of the fabric with its Barco’s Quick-Shed technology, which caused the brand of scrubs to quickly became the number one choice for both healthcare professionals and veterinarians alike.
For example, Barco One incorporates five recycled plastic bottles into the fabric of each garment while the Skechers by Barco that were launched in 2017 incorporates seven recycled bottles per garment.
According to Barco, these bottles would stretch approximately 4,875 miles if lined up end-to-end. This roughly equates to a round-trip from Los Angeles to Pittsburgh.
Reports indicate that more than one million plastic bottles are sold per minute around the world and that approximately 91% of plastic is still not recycled and ends up in the ocean instead even with today’s “going green” initiatives.
“It’s clear that our customers agree, as both Barco One and Skechers by Barco have shown dynamic and sustained sales growth year-over-year.”
About Barco Uniforms
Founded in 1929, Barco® Uniforms is a leader of design innovation in the premium professional apparel industry, designing award-winning premium uniforms that elevate and honor the individual in the healthcare, enterprise and food service industries. Barco® Uniforms is headquartered in Los Angeles with approximately 250+ local employees across multiple disciplines including design, product development, marketing, sales, supply chain, and distribution. For more information, visit www.barcouniforms.com You can follow the company on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram at @barcoapparel and @barcomade.
