Covergalls Inc. announced today the launch of their first ever recycled high visibility t-shirt. The new apparel was created in collaboration with Waste2Wear, a company that makes fabrics out of recycled plastic bottles.
The announcement marks Covergalls Inc.’s deepening connection to sustainable workwear, as the t-shirt promises to be the first in a new collection the company is working on called the “CG Sustainability Collection.”
“Clothes empower a person; they inspire, provide confidence and make you feel included. The same goes for workwear. The partnership with W2W has inspired us to take this empowerment one step further by being a part of the global change and providing sustainable workwear that is good for all,” says Woods.
Since its launch in 2014, Covergalls has sold a range of safety-focused work apparel — from coveralls to work gloves. But this is the company’s first attempt at sustainability-focused workwear clothing.
CEO Woods is excited about the potential that this collaboration opens up and says it’s an opportunity to start discussions on what current and future corporations can do to step up in the fight against climate change.
“It’s as Jane Goodall said: ‘What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.’ At Covergalls we are committed to doing our part in making a difference, while working to inspire, engage and empower individuals, by creating and supporting diverse and inclusive workplaces and taking steps like we are now with our Recycled High Visibility Tee,” says Woods. “We will continue to be mindful and intentional in doing our part to make a difference. We challenge our clients, old and new to join us in being part of the change.”
Covergalls has a history of innovation, like creating a rear flap door in coveralls to help make trips to the bathroom at worksites easier and fitted workwear for those in industrial jobs. These two unique features demonstrate the efforts Covergalls is taking to make the workplace a comfortable, safe and inclusive space.
Like the other collections created by Covergalls, the CG Sustainability Collection marks the start of the company’s journey to create innovative change – this time in sustainability in industrial sectors. For Amelie Mongrain, who works with Waste2Wear, that means aligning with businesses that want to base their business on a triple bottom line rather than just a bottom line.
“The triple bottom line is the planet, the people on the planet, and the profits – so it’s an equal trade, all around. In business you often are asked ‘what is your bottom line?’ And we don’t want just that, because then you often see sacrifices for profit, like cheap labor, or a cost towards the planet and so forth. So what we really want to build is products based on that triple bottom line and, from there, think: ‘ok how can we build awareness about this?’”’
Using breakthrough blockchain technology, the Recycled High-Visibility Tee offers Covergalls and their customers transparency and insight into the supply chain. That means tracing the Recycled High Visibility Tee from its start to finish with unique coding and smart check-ins: from the companies collecting the plastic bottles, to the factory that washes, shreds and breaks up the bottles into pellets, to the company that makes the pellets into the various eco-threads of the t-shirt.
Each step in this value chain has a unique code that is shown via a QR code on the finished products. This traceable record allows Covergalls to secure compliance of materials throughout the manufacturing process and customers a way to understand what steps were taken to make their tee.
Right now Covergalls is in the process of perfecting a vertical value chain with companies in Egypt. The end goal, however, is to build a circular system where past tees can be returned to Covergalls to re-enter the system once more.
“The big picture is to be able to do things so it becomes a circular economy and not just “we’re making a garment, it’s useful, it’s for workwear,” but then when it’s done, it’s done, and it ends up in the garbage. We want to find the right solution and balance.”
The Recycled High Visibility Tee will be available and sold on Covergalls’ e-commerce site beginning August 31st 2022.
