The process of producing affects the planet we inhabit. Clothes – no matter their brand – have a huge climate footprint. They require a large number of raw materials (for example, polyester is made from fossil fuels and cotton takes a lot of water to grow) and a lot of energy is used in dyeing, transporting and manufacturing them. Workwear production is no different as it leaves a global imprint. The important consideration for workwear producers is what responsibility they take and how to implement it. MASCOT takes responsibility for people and the environment by ensuring that their production and consumption is responsible.
Durability is part of the solution
Producing workwear that is built to last is a crucial form of responsible production. When products are built to last a long time, you eliminate the need to reproduce workwear quite as frequently. The total carbon footprint of your workwear diminishes significantly over time because the clothing lasts longer. This ensure that these items do not end up in landfills at a faster rate which both benefits the wearer as well as the environment due to manufacturing being such a widescale process.
MASCOT’s ambition is to produce workwear that not only becomes one’s favourite, but it must also be comfortable, function, durable and impact the environment as little as possible. This type of production is characterised by efficient resource usage and the lowest possible levels of waste and emissions as a result. Therefore, MASCOT’s slogan, TESTED TO WORK, is also a strategic guide.
A comprehensive development process is behind every quality product introduced on the market. Every single product and type of material is the result of many months of development during which MASCOT optimise the properties that are important to the wearers needs. High wear resistance, low material weight and, for example, ULTIMATE STRETCH are some of the properties that MASCOT focus on incorporating into their products.
Testing is a part of the responsible journey to create long-lasting products. Textile experts test the material types and then help to fine-tune them. This type of testing happens continuously between each stage of development. Part of the testing journey for MASCOT, involves incorporating test users to test the products. Creating workwear with test users means that MASCOT can get end users from various professions to put the durability to the test and ensure that the products live up to the goal. Secondly, extensive tests and quality control in MASCOT’s own laboratory are conducted, where there are machines that perform standard tests in accordance with many different European standards, including wear resistance, tear resistance, water resistance and breathability. This extensive testing ensures that the best materials and important considerations are investigated to produce responsible workwear.
Products made with care
Coupled with producing long-lasting products, MASCOT also produces products made from recycled materials. The world’s industries use a lot of resources in their manufacturing processes, but new resources are not in endless supply. That is why it is important to also consider pre-used materials – such as waste – which can be recycled.
Products made from recycled polyester turn a pre-used resource into a new one. MASCOT’s tops in recycled polyester are made from plastic waste, which is collected, broken down to granulate and spun into new threads. These threads are used to produce new textiles.
Various jackets like the MASCOT® ADVANCED 17115-318 jacket have a CLIMASCOT® padded lining. CLIMASCOT® Lightweight Insulation, is also made from 35% recycled polyester. The polyester fibres create a mesh-like structure which holds a large number of small air pockets between the fibres. It is precisely these air pockets which create the lining’s thermal effect. The air is warmed by excess heat from the body and the polyester fibres trap the warm air molecules.
A second recycled material is organic cotton. Many of the MASCOT® CROSSOVER are made from organic cotton. Organic cotton is cultivated from seeds that have not been genetically remodified, and where the weeds in the cotton fields are removed manually. This method of cultivation protects both the soil and the farmers. Organic cotton is cultivated without the use of pesticides and other harmful substances. It is cultivated from seeds that have not been genetically modified and organic cotton cultivation leads to 94% fewer greenhouse gases compared to traditional cotton production.
Although they may not have a solution to all the world’s challenges faced by people and planet, it is still important to MASCOT to do as much as possible to reduce emissions and harm where possible.
To find out more contact your local Service Centre!
