We are committed to maximising value for society, economy and environment from within our supply chain by integrating sustainability into the different dimensions of how we procure.
This includes a strong focus on resource efficiency and contributing to our communities and charitable causes.
Across our business, our procurement leads are always on the lookout for opportunities to build circular economy principles into our supply chain and broaden the social impact of our supply chain partnerships.
Uniforms and other forms of workwear have an important role to play in how our colleagues work to impact a better future – contributing to safety and wellbeing, identity and pride, and engagement with service users. Weaving our sustainability commitments into colleague apparel has been a priority for our procurement teams. Here we share some of their recent achievements.
In the UK…
At the end of 2022, our team at The Defence Academy in Shrivenham, UK, launched new suit uniforms for all 300 colleagues, made entirely from recycled plastic bottles turned into polyester using renewable energy.
The bottles are put through a 6-stage process of sterilisation, shredding, melting and extrusion before being made into yarn which is then woven into fabric. A single suit prevents 45 plastic bottles going to landfill or ending up in the ocean. By updating all Serco apparel for our 300 Defence Academy colleagues, the team effectively recycled 13,500 plastic bottles.
Meanwhile, the old uniforms were sent to a recycling company who repurpose such material by shredding and recycling it for the manufacture of new garments and other products such as insulation, geotextiles and polyester fabrics. 'Certificates of destruction' are issued as proof that the original clothing has been processed into reusable materials fit for re-entering the supply chain.
In the Middle East…
In 2023, Serco Middle East announced partnership with the sustainable clothing company, The Giving Movement, to design eco-friendly workwear for Serco colleagues in the region. This includes a bespoke line of polo shirts designed for comfort and durability as well as sustainability. The polo shirts are made entirely in the United Arab Emirates, using sustainable materials such as bamboo fibre.
In addition to sustainable manufacturing and materials, The Giving Movement donates proceeds from their sales to charitable causes. Causes benefiting from the Serco Middle East partnership will include philanthropic and charitable organisations such as Dubai Cares and Harmony House.
In Australia…
In Australia, we have partnered with Wirrigan Business Services since 2020 for the supply of scrubs and polo shirts to our Australian Defence Health Services contract.
Wirrigan Business Services is '100% Aboriginal-owned' and was established to help public and private sector organisations support First Nations training and employment programmes through procurement spend – programmes that help First Nations people overcome social, mental and physical barriers in order to access and maintain employment.
In 2022, Serco Asia Pacific broadened the scope of their work with Wirrigan Business Services to include office supplies across the business and waste services. Improvements to how waste streams, recycling and reporting are managed is expected to have environmental impact benefits.
More recently, our partnership with Wirrigan Business Services recently grew to support the 'Women's Business Second Chance (WBSC) Hub' from Real Futures. This programme aims to help disadvantaged First Nations women have access to and achieve quality learning, entrepreneurship and employment outcomes through educational and vocational training.
“We look forward to building on our relationship with Serco through their ongoing commitment to First Nations businesses and support to First Nations economic development," said John McNamara, a Wiradjuri man and Founder of The Wirrigan Group of companies.