Highlights
- ACS has shown leadership in making the clothing sector more sustainable by:
- Promoting “hire and reuse” as an alternative to “use and dispose”.
- Working with suppliers to optimise the lifetime of garments.
- Working with staff to minimise chemical and energy use and to reuse/recycle waste.
- Reducing the environmental impact of garments by up to 70%.
Established in 1997, Glasgow based ACS initially focused on the rental of highland wear to the Scottish market. ACS has shown leadership in making the clothing sector more sustainable by: promoting the “hire and reuse” of ladies fashion and clothes for the younger generation as an alternative to the growing trend to “use and dispose”.
ACS made a strategic decision to build a new business model around the principles of sustainability and circular economy. They have a vision to transform their business and influence the whole industry, moving away from the throwaway fast fashion trends.
Reflecting this vision, ACS has worked with suppliers to optimise the expected lifetime and durability of the garments and with their staff on a range of actions to minimise both the chemical and energy used for cleaning the garments as well as reusing or recycling any wastes produced. The judges were impressed that all of these actions help to reduce the associated environmental impact of the garments by up to 70%.
ACS has also worked with their staff on a range of actions to minimise both the chemical and energy used for cleaning the garments as well as reusing or recycling any wastes produced. As examples:
- The LED Lighting Team has helped to reduce lighting costs by £20,000 and CO2 emissions by 16 tonnes
- A Garment Recycling Team has saved 26 tonnes per year by reusing/recycling end of life garments
- A General Waste Team which achieved zero waste to landfill within 9-months.
ACS have created a working environment where staff are fully engaged and take part in suggesting ways to improve sustainability. They have a Green team from all departments in the business which is trained through the Resource Efficient Scotland Green Champion Training and their own bespoke SVQ accredited Lean Green Training programme.
The Leadership Scotland Award recognises businesses with the strategic vision, people policies and management systems that enable them to continuously improve their contribution to Scotland’s sustainable development. This award is for the holistic leadership and management of sustainability within a business, across all functions. The judges were impressed with ACS’ commitment to sustainability and felt that they were a good example of a company going beyond compliance.
Anthony Burns, Operations Director, at ACS, said: “Winning the VIBES Leadership Scotland Award is a stamp of approval for our committed approach to disrupting the fashion industry to make it more sustainable. “This recognition by The VIBES - Scottish Environment Business Awards will make a massive difference to the future of our people, our community and our business. It a huge motivation boost to our staff and other stakeholders in their continued efforts to transform our industry and save our planet. We are humbled and honoured by this recognition."