Q&A Q
As sustainability is such a key factor in today’s society, what sustainable elements or efforts were involved with the manufacture, packaging and delivery of this uniform? A. The following sustainability elements were included during the design and manufacturing process; • Dual packaging resulted in saving space and reducing carbon.
• Home deliveries to volunteers, reducing carbon emissions and travel to previously collect uniforms.
• Biodegradable packaging was produced by a local firm, so ‘Made in the UK’. This meant a reduction in carbon emissions.
• Organic dyes on the packaging – kinder chemicals.
• 0% landfill policy – all garments are designed to give wearers the ‘pride to wear’. They were designed to reflect Birmingham’s iconic landmarks and become a legacy to leave behind a garment to cherish.
• Any excess fabric from the manufacture of the workforce uniform will be used to produce bibs commemorating the games to selected local schools.
• As part of Incorporatewear’s commitment to local environmental projects we have sponsored a local tree planting charity – Heart of England Forest and have attended a volunteer tree planting day that saw the Incorporatewear team plant over 550 trees in one day. Incorporatewear has signed up to another year of supporting Heart of England Forest demonstrating our commitment.
Q
Did you encounter any problems along the way when supplying the unform?
A. The manufacturing of the uniform took place during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite many factory and port shutdowns disrupting production schedules, global freight delays and re-routing due to container capacity issues, we hit the deadline. With the option of product arriving later than planned not an option we forged a plan with our factories which shaped a new project plan moving critical dates forward to start fabric and garment manufacture earlier. Once the garments were being shipped, we had a full tracking document of all ships, containers and sailing details which was managed and monitored daily.
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk
The colour palette of the uniforms took inspiration from the city of Birmingham
Q
How did you ensure that the thousands of uniforms manufactured reached the
right volunteer? A. A data exchange was put in place between the Commonwealth Games data portal containing volunteers’ details and sizes which was updated daily ensuring up to date accurate data. This data was transferred securely using a secure system which was penetration tested prior to use. We fully utilised the flexible services of our partner courier for this project allowing the volunteers the ability to manage for themselves the day or delivery, address, hold while on holiday or collection from a parcel shop to best suit each individual needs.
Q
What happened if a volunteer encountered a problem with their uniform during the Games or it didn’t quite fit right when they received it? A. An amount of spare stock was made available for size changes where necessary. It was a requirement from the start of the tender that the supplier would be able to supply a group of experienced
Volunteers with Prince Charles
machinists to be on hand at the Games for any alterations.
We are used to supplying uniforms to all sizes and shapes and the size range covered from a 6 to 36, so the amount of alterations was minimal however some volunteers required adjustment to cater for physical disabilities or who were outside the size range stocked garments were altered accordingly.
Q
Did you receive any feedback from any of the volunteers?
A. If there were any negative comments about the uniform, we didn’t hear them. We do value all kinds of feedback as that way we can react and consider moving forward so we are always improving. Most of the feedback borne out of excitement to receive their uniform in anticipation of what was to come and a general sense of pride being part of a collective of such a unifying event. We received specific positive feedback regarding the quality of the uniforms, which is always pleasing to hear.
Q
What was the most rewarding part of the project?
A. Being part of such a global event while at the same time having such focus on our local community within Birmingham was a phenomenal experience and achievement. Being an event local to our business and our staff here living in the local area the sense of pride to be included in such an amazing event was priceless.
Q
How did it feel as a local company to be producing a uniform for an event of this magnitude which was happening right on your doorstep? A. As with any tender, huge efforts are made through the tendering process to be awarded the contract, so it was indeed overwhelming to have achieved this. However as with any other win, Incorporatewear recognised that’s when the real hard work started especially considering the climate the world found itself in.
We are located in Birmingham and always have been and many of our staff are either Birmingham born and bred or have adopted Birmingham as their city so it was with huge pride that we approached this project from start to finish, acknowledging it was a once in a lifetime experience for all involved.
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