Funding boost helps Lanarkshire clothing firm increase its sustainability and create jobs
Lanarkshire-based Advanced Clothing Solutions (ACS) has received £950,000 Scottish Enterprise grant funding to make its innovative garment rental and re-sale business even more sustainable, create 147 new permanent jobs and accelerate its path to becoming a net zero company.
ACS, which is based at Eurocentral business park, received the funding for two projects – £450,000 for the development of its garment refurbishment, renewal and fulfilment services, enabling UK brands and retailers to offer a circular fashion solution while creating 82 permanent positions; and £500,000 towards a partnership with US clothing rental business CaaStle to establish a subscription clothing rental service in the UK, which aims to tackle the issue of ‘fast fashion’ by reducing clothing waste while leading to the creation of a further 65 new jobs.
ACS has had sustainability at the heart of its business practices for some time, having worked with a Scottish Enterprise sustainability specialist since 2017. Thanks to adopting greener practices the company can now confidently say that zero of its waste ends up in landfill and it is on track to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2025, all while significantly reducing its operating costs.
Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slater said: “This innovative and sustainable business helps illustrate the great progress which Scotland is making towards ending our contribution to climate change within a generation – Scotland is already more than halfway to net zero.
“Building a circular economy is a vital part of that journey and we need more initiatives like ACS as we work to ensure Scotland recovers from the pandemic with a stronger, greener and fairer economy. To accelerate that transition, we will introduce a Circular Economy Bill that will help tackle our throwaway culture.”
ACS Clothing COO Anthony Burns said: “By addressing many of the environmental pitfalls commonly associated with the fashion industry, we’re moving towards a greener, more sustainable, low-carbon future. It's great to see a growing number of consumers make environmentally-conscious choices, which has led to significant growth for our business and doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon.”
ACS Clothing CFO Andrew Rough added: “The ongoing support of Scottish Enterprise allows us to grow, create jobs and manage the increased volumes we are experiencing. Our relationship with Scottish Enterprise facilitates our drive to net zero, and provides a wealth of knowledge, consultancy and networking opportunities. Many of the changes we’ve put in place could be easily replicated by companies across Scotland. Our hope is that the success we've achieved will inspire others.”
Scottish Enterprise Head of Low Carbon Transition, Andy McDonald, said: “Funding for these latest projects comes at a time when our collective journey towards net zero and the creation of green jobs have never been more important. With COP26 on the horizon it’s great to see an innovative Scottish company tackling the issue of fast fashion in particular.
“ACS Clothing is a shining example of a business that has sustainability running right through it and it’s testament to the expertise at Scottish Enterprise that our specialists have helped them achieve their ambitious environmental goals while also making operational savings.”
For more on ACS Clothing and its environmentally-conscious projects, read our case study here.
ENDS
Contact information:
Jennifer Stevenson
Scottish Enterprise
0141 468 5779 / 07919 227 836
Contact Information
Jennifer Stevenson
Notes to editors
Notes to Editors:
About Scottish Enterprise
Scottish Enterprise is Scotland's national economic development agency. We’re committed to growing the Scottish economy for the benefit of all, helping create more quality jobs and a brighter future for every region.
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About ACS Clothing
ACS Clothing was founded in 1997 and originally specialised in the rental of highland wear to the Scottish market. Today ACS is the leading enabler of the fashion industry’s circular economy in the UK providing end-to-end fulfilment specialising in reverse logistics sustainably. ACS also works on garment refurbishment for fashion brands and retailers with a high rate of clothing returns providing access to the rapidly growing re-commerce and re-sell market.
ACS enables fashion brands and retailers the ability to offer rental or renewal to their consumers, providing an economic and sustainable alternative to the throw-away economy which still exists. Changing consumer behaviours have created a rental market in the UK that's expected to rise to £2.3bn by 2026. Typically, only 1% of materials used to manufacture clothing are recycled, which means one truck load of clothing ends up in landfill every second.
The rise in the sharing economy has transformed the global fashion industry. As consumers move away from garment ownership to garment rental, ACS has grown to become the largest rental fulfilment centre of its kind in Europe. As a business that partners with brands in the rental and resale markets, ACS has always felt a responsibility to drive sustainable changes in its own operations and to encourage a shift towards a circular economy, particularly as it’s well-placed to facilitate sustainable alternatives, like rental and resale, which are far better for the planet.