The Big Interview


of free water filters to workers at the New Horizon factory in Bangladesh. “This is a country where life expectancy is quite low and infant mortality is high. I looked into the reasons why this is and the answer is dirty water. So far, we have gifted over 1,000 water filters to workers to say thank you for their hard work and we estimate that as a result we have potentially helped around 20,000 people, including children and babies. Because of their improved health workers are now spending less on doctors’ fees and healthcare, spending more time in work and earning more money,” explains Donald.


Making an impact


All of these positive actions over the years have culminated in the publication of One+All’s first ever Impact Report. It’s not a requirement for businesses to go into so much detail about their social impact, but the team at One+All are proud of what they have achieved and wanted to share their journey in an open and honest way.


The report delves into statistics, facts and stories from all corners of the business, presenting them in an easily digestible way. From reading the report, it is easy to see why everyone is proud of One+All’s journey to date and what the business has achieved. What’s refreshing to see in the report is that One+All has not airbrushed or greenwashed anything. It’s an entirely honest account of its social impact. In particular, One+All has even highlighted and apologised for the claims made relating to the use of recycled polyester in its garments. As a minimum, any product that claims to contain recycled polyester must include 20% recycled content. One+All conducted testing of its recycled polyester garments, and a number of garments made by other brands. The tests revealed that not a single product tested, including non-One+All garments, was made from 100% recycled bottles. As a result, One+All withdrew its claims of 100% recycled polyester from One+All garments. Its Performa Eco Blazers, Performa Eco Jackets and Eco Ties now simply include a message that says ‘I contain recycled plastic bottles’.


www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk Key milestones


2015 – Journey to becoming employee owned begins 2017 – Rowlinson Knitwear starts working with Ethical Trade Initiative – a first for the schoolwear industry


2018 – In March, Rowlinson Knitwear becomes an accredited Living Wage Employer 2019 – In September, Rowlinson Knitwear signs its Climate Emergency Declaration


2020 – Rowlinson Knitwear becomes a founding member of the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter in March


– In September, Rowlinson Knitwear becomes B Corporation certified – another first for the schoolwear industry


– The journey to becoming 100% employee owned is complete


2021 – Colleagues benefit from the rollout of a company-wide carbon literacy programme in June


– In July Rowlinson Knitwear rebrands to One+All to reflect its ongoing commitment to sustainability


2022 – One+All becomes an accredited Living Hours Employer in April


– And in finally, in December One+All publishes its very first Impact Report


To quote directly from the report: “We’re really sorry we made these claims. It was never our intention to mislead our customers or anyone else. Making a sustainability claim that’s deliberately false is greenwashing and we don’t want any part of it.”


Far from over


One+All’s journey to a sustainable future is far from over. The business has set out a handful of realistic goals that it would like to achieve in the next few years. These include; for 90% of colleagues to be certified Carbon Literate by June 2023, source 50% of cotton as Better Cotton by 2025, and reach a Net Zero target for the UK business by 2028. “Personally, I think the next few years are going to be really difficult,” says Donald. “For businesses involved in apparel, I can see the apparel market being down between 10% and 20% this year and next year. Consumers are beginning to think more about the longevity of their garments and what they purchase, which means they won’t be spending as much money. Manufacturers are going to have to have a serious think about the damage that is caused by promotional merchandise and items that are only worn once or twice. I think it’s going to be a tough few years for businesses in that respect.” Anyone that wants to see how a business can transform the way they operate and become more sustainable and ethical along the way should


pick up and read One+All’s Impact Report, which is available to download online. One+All is definitely setting the benchmark high for businesses who want to become more sustainable and ethical in their practices.


One+All works hard to improve the life and health of its overseas workers


One+All has so far gifted 1,000 water filters to help eradicate dirty water


One+All became B Corporation certified in September 2020 – a first for the schoolwear industry


March 2023 | 37 |


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