Westpeak New Zealand™ – who for 30 years has kitted out workers nationwide in top-quality uniforms, workwear and safety equipment – is determined to play its part in tackling the nationwide problem.
“It’s common for companies in the industries we deal with, from construction and transportation to the service industries, to have a high turnover of staff. This often means an excess of uniforms,” says Courtney Thompson, head of marketing and sustainability at Westpeak New Zealand.
“Second hand shops often won’t accept branded uniforms, and the synthetic materials necessary for some workwear and AS/NZ safety standards can present a barrier for recycling too.”
Thompson and the Westpeak team spent months researching the best ways to repurpose and recycle their customers’ unavoidable excess uniforms. They eventually settled on one unconventional solution: dog beds.
All business customers who sign up to Westpeak’s Uniform & PPE Recycling Programme receive a reusable clothing box to fill with old uniforms to put towards the initiative. Once full, the box is sent back to Westpeak and the clothes are processed and shredded, with the broken-down textiles used to fill custom dog beds.
“A lot of other recycling programmes can’t take polyester and synthetic fibres but, for the dog beds, we can take anything that’s clean. We can’t take face masks, gloves or hair nets for hygiene reasons, but any other form of clothing like rainwear, hi-vis etc is fine – even zips and logos,” says Thompson.
“Once the dog beds have been made, our customers can choose whether they keep and distribute the beds themselves, or if they’d like to donate them to a local charity,” says Thompson.
Dog available for adoption. Photos supplied/ SPCA
With its head office in Greymouth, Westpeak has already partnered with Greymouth SPCA to provide complimentary dog beds with every new adoption. Mel Rutherford, centre manager of Greymouth SPCA, is thrilled with the new partnership: “Our SPCA animal teams work incredibly hard to re-home animals across the country. Nationally, we’ve rehomed 2418 dogs and puppies within the last year, and 60 in the Greymouth area.”
“We’re humbled by Westpeak’s support and their recognition of our dogs’ needs as they’re re-homed in the community. We’re pleased to provide every dog adopted from Greymouth SPCA one of these brand new beds, providing them with comfort as they settle in with their new family and supporting sustainable initiatives.”
With customers based all over the country, the goal is to extend these charitable partnerships everywhere from Auckland to Invercargill, says Thompson, adding that it’s not just animal shelters that can benefit from the beds, but other charities that involve pets too.
“The Uniform & PPE Recycling Programme wouldn’t be possible without our customers who sign up for the initiative,” says Thompson.
“It’s been awesome to see such a positive response, and what it means to our customers as well as the charities. Ultimately, it’s helping our customers solve operational problems, reduce waste and reach their sustainability goals. And the dog beds provide great community benefits too.”
The programme is part of Westpeak’s broader Enviropeak™ initiative, which aims to help customers mitigate their environmental impact through various sustainability-minded partnerships. One such project is Westpeak’s partnership with Trees That Count, an organisation that connects businesses with restoration projects around New Zealand.
Since partnering with Trees That Count in 2021, Westpeak New Zealand has committed to a goal of funding the planting of 500 trees per year. Every purchase of Westpeak products across the country helps fund native tree planting around the country, with Westpeak having funded nearly 2,000 trees to date across three different restoration projects.
“A big one for us was Atarau Sanctuary, just inland from Greymouth,” says Thompson. “It’s not only about trees there, but also protecting the great spotted kiwi. We’ve planted over 700 trees with Atarau Sanctuary, and it’s so good to know the forest regeneration work has benefits not just for the climate but for these precious and endangered native species.”
Westpeak has also funded the planting of 316 trees with Clean Streams Karamea and 507 trees with the Moutere & Motueka Rivers Catchment Restoration project and 212 trees with Canoe Creek Conservation Project. It has also planted 143 Pohutukawa trees near its head office in Greymouth, working alongside Christchurch-based landscape architects Glasson Huxtable to ensure the trees responded to the existing foliage and native plants in the area.
“What’s great about this partnership is that it means all our customers are automatically involved in growing a more resilient and biodiverse New Zealand,” says Thompson.
“Enviropeak has brought us greater connections with our customers, knowing that there’s a mutual interest in sustainability and taking responsibility for the environment. It’s something our customers enjoy getting behind as much as we do.”
For more information: westpeak.co.nz/pages/uniform-ppe-end-of-life-program.htmx
