Tackling uniform waste with circular economy in medical apparel industry

Classico, which focuses on the planning, development, and sales of medical apparel incorporating tailored technology, has established a recycling scheme for unwanted uniforms. The company collects uniforms that are no longer needed by medical facilities, sample items generated during production, and products that can no longer be sold, and recycles them as resources.

Currently, it is estimated that approximately 12,000 tons of workwear are discarded annually in Japan alone. Due to the logos or names on uniforms, they differ from regular clothing and may create resistance toward recycling. In fact, according to the “Survey on Recycling in the Uniform Industry,” 58.8% of companies responded that they do not collect unwanted uniforms, with the most cited reason being “lack of post-collection processing methods” (32.2%). While advancements in recycling technology have made it possible to recycle a variety of textiles, the notion that uniforms can be recycled has yet to become widely accepted.

To address this, Classico has constructed a recycling scheme compatible with uniforms and views the creation of an accessible recycling environment as part of its responsibility. Together with BPLab and their BIOLOGIC LOOP circular platform, Classico has initiated a recycling program specifically for medical apparel. It includes offering collection services for unwanted uniforms to corporate clients and recycling approximately 1 ton (around 2,400 items) of sample products generated during the production process and unsold inventory that had been stored in warehouses.

Classico plans to continue tackling this challenge and work towards a circular economy.