Could you start by introducing yourself and PCIAW®, and share what perspective you’ll be bringing to the panel at the Textiles Recycling Expo EU? 

I’m Yvette Ashby, Founder and CEO of the Professional Clothing Industry Association Worldwide (PCIAW®), a global not-for-profit association dedicated to the professional clothing sector. I’ve worked in this industry for over three decades, and for the past ten years PCIAW® has been at the forefront of connecting and championing the global ecosystem — bringing together brands, manufacturers, distributors, buyers, innovators, and service providers across uniforms, workwear, and PPE. 

Our mission is to unite the industry, accelerate innovation, promote responsible sourcing, and drive tangible progress toward a more sustainable and circular future for professional clothing. 

At the Textiles Recycling Expo EU, I will be hosting the panel “Bridging the Circularity Gap in Uniforms, Workwear and PPE.” This is a subject I am particularly passionate about because, despite its scale and strategic importance, the professional clothing sector has too often been underrepresented in wider textile circularity discussions. 

I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to my fellow panelists for joining this important conversation: Toomas Allikas, CEO and Founder of GreenFul; Halit Gemuser, Managing Director at KİPAŞ Textiles; Debbie Huntley, Sustainability Manager at Pulsar; and Natalie Wilson, Founder and Managing Director of Workwear Solutions International. 

The sector itself presents both a challenge and a significant opportunity. Uniforms, workwear, and PPE are engineered for durability, performance, and compliance — qualities that make them uniquely suited to circular models when supported by the right systems, infrastructure, and cross-sector collaboration. 

During the panel, we will explore the practical realities of advancing circularity — from design for recyclability and regulatory compliance to procurement practices and end-of-life solutions. Crucially, we will also spotlight the innovations and partnerships already driving measurable change across the industry. 

Ultimately, this discussion is about moving beyond theory and into implementation — demonstrating that scalable, circular solutions are not only possible, but essential for the future of both the industry and the planet. 

Uniforms, workwear and PPE represent a huge and often overlooked segment of the textiles market. Why do you think this corner of the industry has been slower to enter the circularity conversation and is that starting to change? 

If you stop and think about it, almost every public space we enter involves someone wearing a uniform. Whether it’s an airport, airline crew, emergency services, hospitals, rail networks, hospitality venues, supermarkets or logistics operations — professional clothing is all around us, every single day. Yet despite its visibility and scale, this sector has often been overlooked in the wider sustainability and circularity conversation. 

One of the biggest reasons for this is that functionality, protection and compliance have always had to come first. Unlike fashion, professional clothing and PPE must meet strict performance, durability and safety standards, often within highly regulated industries where there can be no compromise. That naturally makes innovation more complex and, in many cases, slows down the adoption of circular solutions. 

There’s also the challenge of ownership and procurement models. Many uniforms and PPE garments are supplied through long-term contracts, managed services and industrial laundering systems, creating additional layers of complexity when it comes to reuse, repair, recycling and end-of-life management. 

However, the conversation is now changing rapidly. Buyers are asking tougher questions, legislation is evolving, and there is growing recognition that durability alone is no longer enough. Products must also be designed with clear end-of-life solutions in mind. 

Encouragingly, there is increasing investment and innovation in fibre-to-fibre recycling, take-back schemes, repair programmes, and product design strategies that consider recyclability from the very beginning. The industry is beginning to realise that circularity is not just an environmental responsibility — it is also a business opportunity and a critical part of building a more resilient future. 

PCIAW sits at the heart of the professional clothing industry, connecting brands, manufacturers, and buyers. What are the most pressing sustainability and circularity challenges you're hearing from members right now? 

One of the biggest conversations across the industry right now is quite simply: who is going to pay for the transition to circularity? 

There is strong willingness across the sector to do better, but many organisations are still grappling with the financial implications of change. Businesses are trying to balance increasingly demanding sustainability targets with operational realities, rising costs, compliance pressures and highly complex global supply chains. 

Whether it’s investing in traceability systems, redesigning products for recyclability, implementing take-back schemes, or developing recycling infrastructure for workwear and PPE — all of this requires significant investment. The key question is how those costs are shared fairly across the value chain. 

At the same time, the industry is preparing for major regulatory changes, including Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and Digital Product Passports (DPPs), which will significantly reshape how products are designed, tracked and managed throughout their lifecycle. While these initiatives will help drive greater accountability, transparency and circularity, many businesses are still trying to understand how implementation will work in practice, particularly within the complex professional clothing and PPE sector. 

Traceability remains one of the biggest challenges. Many companies still struggle to obtain consistent, reliable data across global supply chains, while also preparing for evolving legislation and reporting requirements linked to EPR, DPPs and wider sustainability regulations. 

Infrastructure is another major issue. Even where there is commitment to circularity, the systems for collecting, sorting and recycling professional clothing at scale are still underdeveloped in many regions. Without investment, innovation and collaboration, businesses cannot solve these challenges alone. 

And ultimately, design is critical. Garments must continue to meet the highest standards for durability, comfort and protection, while also being easier to repair, disassemble and recycle at end of life. 

What’s becoming increasingly clear is that circularity cannot sit with one stakeholder alone. Brands, buyers, manufacturers, recyclers, policymakers and consumers all have a role to play. The transition will require collaboration, shared responsibility and long-term thinking — but the cost of doing nothing will ultimately be far greater for both industry and the planet. 

PPE in particular presents some unique end-of-life challenges including contamination, PFAS, safety standards and regulatory requirements. How does the sector begin to approach recyclability when those constraints are so significant? 

PPE is one of the most challenging areas because safety can never be compromised. Contamination risks, PFAS, mixed materials, coatings and strict performance requirements all create significant barriers to conventional recycling. 

There is also increasing concern around PFAS as a class of “forever chemicals” due to their persistence in the environment and potential long-term health and ecological impacts. This reinforces the urgency for continued innovation and the development of safer material alternatives wherever possible, without compromising performance standards in protective clothing. 

The starting point has to be collaboration and innovation. Manufacturers, recyclers, testing bodies and end users need to work together much earlier in the product lifecycle. Designing with end-of-life in mind is essential — selecting materials and constructions that can potentially be separated, recovered or safely repurposed, while also prioritising the transition away from harmful substances where viable. 

There also needs to be a focus on realistic solutions rather than perfect ones. In some cases, repair and reuse may offer the best environmental outcome. In others, downcycling or energy recovery may still be preferable to landfill while recycling technologies continue to develop. 

Importantly, policy, investment and innovation are needed to support infrastructure that can safely and responsibly handle these specialist waste streams, while accelerating the shift towards safer, more circular material choices in PPE. 

Procurement plays a huge role in workwear and uniforms, with large public and private sector buyers holding real influence. How much appetite are you seeing from buyers to use that leverage to drive more circular outcomes? 

The appetite is definitely growing, particularly among larger organisations and public sector buyers who recognise the influence they have across supply chains. 

More tenders are now including sustainability criteria, whether that’s recycled content, repair programmes, take-back schemes, carbon reporting or ethical sourcing requirements. Buyers increasingly understand that procurement can be a powerful driver of change. 

However, there’s still a gap between ambition and implementation. Buyers need clearer guidance, measurable standards and practical frameworks that help them make informed decisions without compromising performance or value. 

What’s encouraging is that the conversation is becoming more strategic. Circularity is no longer viewed as a standalone sustainability initiative — it’s increasingly being linked to resilience, risk management and long-term business value. 

PCIAW has been active in developing standards and frameworks for the professional clothing sector. What work are you most proud of recently, and where are you focusing your efforts to move the needle? 

One of the most important achievements has been bringing different parts of the industry together around shared challenges. Creating spaces for collaboration and practical action is incredibly important in a sector as fragmented and specialised as professional clothing. 

There has been a strong focus on supporting knowledge sharing, responsible sourcing conversations, and helping businesses understand emerging sustainability expectations and legislation. Another key priority has been elevating the visibility of professional clothing within wider textile sustainability discussions, where it has often been overlooked. 

Looking ahead, the focus is on accelerating collaboration across the value chain, supporting circular design thinking, and helping the sector prepare for the regulatory and operational changes that are coming. Education and industry alignment will be critical. 

Collaboration between garment manufacturers, recyclers, and end-users seems especially critical in this segment. What does good collaboration look like in practice, and where are the biggest gaps? 

Good collaboration starts with transparency and shared responsibility. Circularity cannot sit with one part of the supply chain alone — everyone has a role to play, from fibre producers through to end users and waste processors. 

In practice, successful collaboration means involving recyclers and recovery specialists much earlier in product development, rather than treating end-of-life as an afterthought. It also means buyers engaging openly with suppliers about realistic sustainability goals and long-term partnerships. 

One of the biggest gaps is still communication between sectors that traditionally haven’t worked closely together. Manufacturers may not fully understand recycling limitations, while recyclers may not have enough visibility into garment construction or compliance requirements. 

There is also a need for more scalable pilots and greater data sharing so the industry can move beyond isolated projects and towards systems-level change. 

Finally, what draws you to the Textiles Recycling Expo EU, and what do you hope the event achieves for the workwear and PPE segment specifically both in terms of visibility and tangible progress? 

What draws me to this event is a genuine belief that, collectively, the industry can do better and make a real difference in helping to protect and preserve the planet. Events like this create the opportunity for businesses to come together, challenge existing systems, share innovation, and accelerate practical solutions that can have meaningful environmental impact. They also provide vital education and insight for those still trying to understand how circularity can be implemented in practical and commercially viable ways. 

For over a decade, PCIAW® has been championing sustainability, responsible sourcing and innovation within the professional clothing industry. With the launch of the first Circular Textiles for a Sustainable Future report in 2021, circularity and textile recycling were brought firmly into the conversation for the workwear, uniform and PPE sector. The report has since been downloaded in over 100 countries, demonstrating the growing global appetite for practical guidance and collaboration around circularity in textiles. It’s incredibly rewarding to now see those ecodesign principles being brought to life through pioneering case studies on circular uniforms and workwear solutions. 

For the workwear and PPE segment specifically, the hope is that the event helps raise visibility around both the scale of the challenge and the opportunities for innovation. Professional clothing has unique complexities, but it also has enormous potential to become a leader in durable, service-based and circular textile models. 

Most importantly, the event should help spark practical collaboration and tangible next steps. The industry doesn’t need more isolated conversations — it needs partnerships, pilots and scalable solutions that can genuinely move the needle.