The path to a sustainable future

The leadership team at One+All has spent the best part of the last decade improving the working conditions for colleagues, both in the UK and in their overseas factories. P&P editor Melanie Attlesey sat down with Donald Moore, chair of the schoolwear and corporatewear manufacturer, to find out more about the company’s path to a sustainable future.

I last interviewed Donald way back in 2015. And a lot has changed in the eight years that have passed since then.

If you rewind the clock back to 2015, this is the year where One+All first began to noticeably transform the outlook of its operation. The business, then known as Rowlinson Knitwear, started its journey to becoming employee-owned when the Rowlinson family stepped back from running the business. This goal was finally achieved in 2020 and now One+All is 100% owned by the 68 employees.

Employee-owned

Employees now have a significant and meaningful stake in the business. What this means for the staff is that instead of shareholders stripping all the profits from the business and taking home big bonuses at the end of the financial year, colleagues now benefit from a share of the profits at the end of the year. It also means that One+All can reinvest in the business, to continue to deliver a better service to customers.  This year, colleagues received their highest ever share of the profits, and the minimum any colleague took home extra in their pay packet was £3,600.

Colleagues also have a say in how the business is run. This included a say in the renaming of the business in 2021. The rebrand was a significant step on the business’ path to establishing a more sustainable future, as it meant moving away from the Rowlinson name that had become synonymous with family ownership of the knitwear and schoolwear industry since its formation in 1935.

Other perks that colleagues benefit from include; being paid the living wage, interest-free crisis loans, pensions paid into an environmental, social and governance (ESG) pension, healthcare and dental plans, and death in service payments. An interesting point that Donald makes is that investing in an ESG pension is 21 times more effective than the combination of giving up flying, becoming a vegetarian and switching energy provider, statistics confirmed by campaign group Make My Money Matter back in October.

“There are many reasons we offer all of these benefits to our people,” says Donald. “As a business we perform much better through the work that we do here and in our communities. Our customer satisfaction is world class because all of our colleagues care and want to do the best job possible. We are also able to attract top talent, because people think we are a force for good and have a purpose. I think that talented people, particularly younger people, want to work for a business that has purpose, that’s more than just about climbing the corporate ladder. It’s nice to work in an environment where people come to work on a Monday morning smiling – that means a lot.”

A better future

It’s not just the lives and working conditions of colleagues in the UK that One+All works hard to improve. One+All doesn’t own its factories in Bangladesh or Egypt, but instead nurtures long-lasting relationships with them to build a better future.

By becoming a member of Ethical Trade Initiative, One+All works to improve the lives of workers throughout the entire supply chain. Initiatives such as alleviating period poverty and introducing fair working hours and pay, have made a huge difference to factory workers.

One initiative that Donald is particularly proud of is the distribution of free water filters to workers at the New Horizon factory in Bangladesh.

“This is a country where life expectancy is quite low and infant mortality is high. I looked into the reasons why this is and the answer is dirty water. So far, we have gifted over 1,000 water filters to workers to say thank you for their hard work and we estimate that as a result we have potentially helped around 20,000 people, including children and babies. Because of their improved health workers are now spending less on doctors’ fees and healthcare, spending more time in work and earning more money,” explains Donald.

Making an impact

All of these positive actions over the years have culminated in the publication of One+All’s first ever Impact Report. It’s not a requirement for businesses to go into so much detail about their social impact, but the team at One+All are proud of what they have achieved and wanted to share their journey in an open and honest way.

The report delves into statistics, facts and stories from all corners of the business, presenting them in an easily digestible way. From reading the report, it is easy to see why everyone is proud of One+All’s journey to date and what the business has achieved.

What’s refreshing to see in the report is that One+All has not airbrushed or greenwashed anything. It’s an entirely honest account of its social impact. In particular, One+All has even highlighted and apologised for the claims made relating to the use of recycled polyester in its garments.

As a minimum, any product that claims to contain recycled polyester must include 20% recycled content. One+All conducted testing of its recycled polyester garments, and a number of garments made by other brands. The tests revealed that not a single product tested, including non-One+All garments, was made from 100% recycled bottles. As a result, One+All withdrew its claims of 100% recycled polyester from One+All garments. Its Performa Eco Blazers, Performa Eco Jackets and Eco Ties now simply include a message that says ‘I contain recycled plastic bottles’.

To quote directly from the report, “We’re really sorry we made these claims. It was never our intention to mislead our customers or anyone else. Making a sustainability claim that’s deliberately false is greenwashing and we don’t want any part of it.”

Far from over

One+All’s journey to a sustainable future is far from over. The business has set out a handful of realistic goals that it would like to achieve in the next few years. These include; for 90% of colleagues to be certified Carbon Literate by June 2023, source 50% of cotton as Better Cotton by 2025, and reach a Net Zero target for the UK business by 2028.

“Personally, I think the next few years are going to be really difficult,” says Donald. “For businesses involved in apparel, I can see the apparel market being down between 10% and 20% this year and next year. Consumers are beginning to think more about the longevity of their garments and what they purchase, which means they won’t be spending as much money. Manufacturers are going to have to have a serious think about the damage that is caused by promotional merchandise and items that are only worn once or twice. I think it’s going to be a tough few years for businesses in that respect.”

Anyone that wants to see how a business can transform the way they operate and become more sustainable and ethical along the way should pick up and read One+All’s Impact Report, which is available to download online. One+All is definitely setting the benchmark high for businesses who want to become more sustainable and ethical in their practices.