We protect (y)our workers and the planet

With partnerships based on trust, we combine convenient Workwear as a Service with style, comfort and durability, thus helping our customers to fulfil their own sustainability goals.

A new Era of sustainability

With a bold shift to a holistic ESG strategy, we are integrating environmental sustainability, social impact and governance into our core business – ensuring long-term resilience, responsibility and future-proof growth.

Our holistic CWS Workwear CER strategy Circular, Empowering, Responsible is built on a strong foundation of three ESG pillars

Our circular business model

Circular economy is the fundamental principle behind our business model. The CWS Workwear service model is geared to cutting environmental impacts and slowing down the materials cycle. Use and reuse instead of buy and replace.

''For You, For Your Business, For The Planet''

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Cutting environmental impacts at each stage of the cycle

Collection & Delivery

We regularly collect your work clothes and prepare them in our laundries, optimizing routes to reduce carbon emissions.

Wash & Care

We wash and care for your workwear using eco-friendly detergents and energy-efficient methods to conserve water and energy.

Repair & Adjustment

We repair and adjust workwear to extend its lifecycle, minimizing waste and supporting sustainable use of resources.

Replacement

When workwear reaches the end of its lifecycle, we responsibly replace and recycle it, ensuring a minimal environmental footprint.

Collection & Delivery

We regularly collect your work clothes and prepare them in our laundries, optimizing routes to reduce carbon emissions.

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Our CWS workwear publications

The Responsibility Report 2024/25 shows CWS Workwear and CWS Healthcare´s measures towards our responsibility for our operations and how these affect people, society and the planet.

Find out more

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Circularity (E)

Emissions Calculator

Discover the positive impact of our innovative circular service model on the environment with our CWS Workwear ‘emissions calculator’. Compare it with washing at home and see for yourself how our approach contributes to an environmentally friendly planet.

Discover the benefits and make a sustainable choice for your workwear.

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Proven Decarbonisation Benefits: Why We Built Our Emissions Calculator

The Circular Advantage Study (CAS) found that a circular textile service model cuts the environmental impact of workwear by more than 70%* on average - considering the repair and reuse cycles - compared to a linear model.

This equates to average C02e savings of 550,000kg per year and 10,000 employees.

Learn more about CAS

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Empowerment (S)

Fair Employment at CWS Workwear: Our Commitment to People

At CWS Workwear we believe that a fair, ethical, and safe workplace is the foundation of a sustainable business. With our new Fair Employment Code, we reaffirm our commitment to our employees as our most valuable asset. The Code sets out clear principles that guide how we treat all our direct employees and reflects our shared responsibility to create a workplace where everyone can thrive. By embedding these standards into daily operations, we ensure that fairness and integrity are lived values - not just policies.

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Uppförandekod för rättvis anställning (PDF, 149.61 KB)

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Responsibility (G)

Policies

Explore and download our essential documents that reflect our commitment to ethical business practices and sustainability - guiding our efforts toward transparency, integrity, and environmental responsibility.

Sustainable Procurement Policy (PDF, 1.4 MB)

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Know more about Sustainability

Discover how we uphold sustainability across our operations. Access general company certifications such as ISO norms, our Sustainability Principles, and our Compliance Helpline—providing transparency and support in our ongoing commitment to responsible and ethical business practices.

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Certifications

EcoVadis CWS International 2024 Certificate - includes CWS Workwear

Sustainability Principles - CWS Group

Compliance Helpline - Speak up!

Grievance Mechanism - Find out more about our Compliace Helpline.

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Certified Quality

UN Global Compact

Since 2013 CWS Group has been a member of the UNGC the largest global initiative for sustainable copor
CR_UN Global compact

EcoVadis

Silver award 2024 for environment, labor and human rights ethics and supply chain management

Amfori BSCI

CWS has been following the amfori BSCI Code of Conduct since 2013 and aligns its Code of Conduct with its requirements. Suppliers in high-risk countries are externally audited every two years.

Oekotex

Planned Oekotex Step certification for Albanian contract processing partners in 2024 - Highest standard for textile production

Repreve

We used recycled polyester in our workwear, certified by repreve. Used PET bottles are reused in the production of our clothing pro line

Cotton made in Africa

Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) promotes sustainable farming and improves African farmers' livelihoods. Supporting CmiA-certified cotton strengthens environmental practices and creates a more ethical supply chain.

Fairtrade

We use cotton from the Fairtrade® black label cotton colloberation in our workwear and thus support fair wages and production processes in the production countries. Since July 2024, the Fairtrade®-supported Cotton Program was discontinued.

TECAWORK®

Tecawork® Cotton is a high-quality fabric for professional workwear, offering comfort, durability, and protection. Its cotton blend provides breathability and softness, with treatments that enhance durability, color retention, and resistance to shrinking.

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Sustainability News

About us

Click here to get an overview of all current news, guides, information and updates on the topics of workwear, workwear services and sustainable workwear.

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*Disclaimer: The results of the CAS are based on approximate values and assumptions, which are explained in the study. CWS internal data from the 2021 financial year and external data references were used for the calculations.