Although this might not be a ‘normal’ year in terms of going back to school, we do know that the little ones are continuing to grow and will be in need of new school uniform, whenever it is they make a return to the classroom.
Our aim this year was to make 100% of our Back to School range sustainably sourced, including all of our school sportswear. So we're delighted that we've achieved this - in spite of the added complications caused by the pandemic - and that our new Back to School range has credible and impactful sustainability at its core.
At home my wife Martina has taken on the role of "head teacher" to our three children, Esme, who's five, Zachary, who's eight, and 10-year-old Reuben. She's done the bulk of the home schooling while I've been busy with work - primarily a lot of time on Zoom! The boys have been wearing loungewear, hoodies and football kit while Esme's style is more "eclectic".
Esme is in Year 1 and so she may be one of the first ones to go back to school in England. We know that demand for schoolwear is likely to change very quickly, and could even be on a regional basis - for example when some children go back to school in England on 1st June but not the rest of the UK. So as a team we've had to adapt very quickly in order to make sure we will have the right stock in the right place at the right time.
Some of the new range is already in store and online and more will be landing over the next few weeks and months – just look for the label that says "George for Good".
Sustainability isn't just a fad or a trend, it's so much more important than that. It's an investment for the future – not just for our customers but for the environment and the planet.
All the cotton used in our sustainable Back To School range is sourced through the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI). The initiative is the largest cotton sustainability programme in the world. Together with its partners, BCI provides training on more sustainable farming practices to more than two million cotton farmers in 21 countries.
The Better Cotton Standard System is a holistic approach to sustainable cotton production which covers environmental, social and economic impact. Each of the elements work together to support the Better Cotton Standard System, and the credibility of Better Cotton and BCI. The system is designed to ensure the exchange of good practices, and to encourage the scaling up of collective action to establish Better Cotton as a sustainable mainstream commodity.
All the polyester in the range is made from minimum 25% recycled polyester – that is polyester yarn spun from recycled plastic bottles. It's an amazing process to watch! The plastic bottles are finely shredded almost to a molecular level and then respun into yarn to make new polyester. It's a similar process with nylon which is made from recycled nylon garments and wastage from nylon fabric production. And the viscose we use comes from plant material sourced from sustainable forests.
We've invested in making the range sustainable without compromising on quality or passing on any extra cost to the customer. Our sustainable schoolwear is still amazing value, highly durable and has all the amazing features as before: Stay White, Lasting Colour, Stain Resistance and Stain Release technology, Easy-Iron treatments, Teflon EcoElite™, and of course our George 100 day satisfaction guarantee. The only difference you'll notice is the "George for Good" label that shows you it's sustainable.
We hope you love it and that your children enjoy wearing it when they go back to school ... whenever that may be!
