Sustainable hotels keep a close eye on a number of things: their environmental footprint, CO2 emissions, the origin of food. These are the big areas. But we think a sustainable hotel also stands out for its awareness to the details. Sustainable decorations, for example, supporting local artists, or the sustainable workwear in a hotel.

What is sustainable Workwear?

We are familiar with sustainable clothing from our everyday lives. Surely you too have thought about the origin of your t-shirt or seen a documentary about the conditions in the production plants of the so-called fast fashion chains.

If you want to dig deeper into the topic, we can recommend these two blog articles on sustainable fashion: What our attire has to do with the environment and How to identify what’s behind it.

The idea of sustainability is also increasingly finding its way into the area of work and professional clothing. There are more and more labels that pay attention to a fair production of their garments and have an eye on the supply chains all the way to the origin.

Unlike our private everyday clothing, however, sustainable professional clothing must meet further requirements. It must be robust, for example, as it is worn constantly and washed repeatedly. Depending on the industry, it also has to protect against hazards. In areas with a lot of customer contact, it should also be fashionable and appealing.

Labels and seals for sustainable clothing

As with our everyday clothing, you can recognize sustainable workwear by various seals and labels. A few years ago, Greenpeace took a closer look at the most common labels and awarded three of them three stars. These include, for example, the GOTS seal as well as the Made in Green seal from Oeko-Tex.

The GOTS seal

You’ve probably seen GOTS or the Global Organic Textile Standard before. After all, it is one of the most popular textile seals. It regulates and monitors the entire production chain from the cultivation of raw materials to the finished product. Minimum standards are also required in the social area. Nevertheless, you should pay attention, because GOTS checks the residues of chemicals in the finished textiles only incompletely.

Made in Green von Oeko-Tex

This seal is counted among the strictest by Greenpeace. The producers and factories are subject to the STeP sustainability program, which covers not only environmental management but also, for example, workplace safety. Unlike the GOTS seal, residues in the finished item are checked more closely and are subject to stricter rules.

In the middle range you will find Bluesign, Cradle to Cradle, the Blue Angel and the EU Ecolabel. You can find more details in the full report from Greenpeace.

More than the clothing itself

Sustainability in workwear goes beyond the garment itself. The most sustainable garment in the world is useless if it ends up in the trash at the end of the work contract. In this case, sustainability also means that the workwear is used for as long as possible. This includes, for example, setting up a clothing pool from which new employees can be outfitted, or ensuring that the clothing is designed for everyday use so that it can continue to be worn and used even after the employment relationship has ended.

Sustainable Workwear in a hotel

Work attire in a hotel is incredibly versatile. After all, a hotel includes numerous areas, each with different requirements for their garments. In the kitchen, for example, workwear protects against stains, splashes and injuries. In housekeeping, workwear also serves to protect against chemicals. In addition, it must be practical and comfortable for this physically demanding job.

In service, it should primarily represent the hotel and its brand and at the same time ensure that guests can quickly find a person to speak to. In addition, consistent work clothing underlines the professionalism of the team and creates a stronger sense of togetherness.

Reasons for Workwear at a Glance

• consistent look of the team and representation of the hotel / brand
• easy recognition for guests
• protection against injuries (housekeeping, craftsmen, kitchen, …)
• professional appearance
• stronger feeling of togetherness in the team

This is what the Green Pearls partners say:

“It’s sometimes not so easy,” says Klaus Pichler from Hotel Weihrerhof in South Tyrol, referring to equipping his team with sustainable workwear. “We take great care to buy organic cotton or clothing made from recycled materials for our employees,” he adds.

How do other Green Pearls partners handle it? We asked and our partners answered:

Specially designed for Maslina Resort

“The uniforms for Maslina Resort were designed by Croatian fashion designer Sara Lončarić. Founded in 2016 in Zagreb, her label Blackpearl aims to produce in an ethical and sustainable way that respects both people and the planet, as well as to support fashion production in Croatia.”

Maslina Resort is located on the Croatian island of Hvar. The simple, clean design of the uniforms reflects the hotel’s leitmotif: Mindful Luxury.

Sustainable and Fair – And Beautiful

Many of our partners believe that the workwear of their employees should also be like this. For example the LENI MOUNTAIN Apartments & Chalet

“We work together with a local company. It is important for us to know the supply chains and of course we follow the general principles regarding “sustainability”. Fortunately, we have not yet had to worry about what happens to the clothes should employees leave us, this has not yet occurred since the introduction of professional clothing. :)”

Or at Okelmann’s in Warpe, Lower Saxony:

“We switched to the wonderful, durable and fairly made aprons from Kaya&Kato this year. They just look so beautiful! We donated the old aprons to the local Diakonie department store. Employees who leave drop their clothes off with us. It will be put to further use.”

The Croatian Dreamer’s Club also emphasizes sustainability in its workwear.

“We try to ensure that our employees are dressed in sustainable ecological clothes – usually T-shirts are from organic cotton. All our employees are also oriented towards this and strive to live sustainable. They use bikes to come to work. After they leave or if their clothes get somehow destroyed, we second use it – as a cleaning cloth.”

Longevity and durability are top priorities at Creativhotel Luise. To that end, they rely on organic cotton and recycled materials. It’s the same at Naturhotel Outside in East Tyrol. “Our outfitter produces exclusively in Europe,” they report additionally.

Authentic instead of fancy dress at the SAND Lifestylehotel

“We don’t want a “disguise” and dress according to our SAND colors. We are still looking for a partner who produces stylish, sustainable clothing that is economical and durable. In any case, we attach great importance to partners producing in Germany, who can deliver economically and at the same time durable clothing without “greenwashing”. A high-quality piece from Marco Polo, for example… as well as white polo shirts with the SAND logo are provided by SAND.”

What does that look like? Like this:

• Front Office: white shirt/blouse, beige pants, blue jacket, neat shoes, braidedbelt, wooden nameplate.
• Service: white or blue/white striped polo shirt or shirt/blouse, beige pants orjeans, blue jacket, neat footwear, braidedbelt, wooden name tag
• Housekeeping: white SAND polo shirt, blue jeans, neat athletic shoe, name tag.
• Kitchen: black chef jacket, dark pants, neat athletic shoe, name tag.

Regional partners for the HUBERTUS Mountain Refugio

“Service and reception are fully equipped with work clothes, except shoes. Colleagues wear dirndls with their own designed apron. We get the equipment from our regional partner: Trachten Schaber from Immenstadt. We have been working with this partner for many years and are very satisfied with the quality and customer service. For kitchen and housekeeping we order from the catering wholesaler. This is convenient and easy. Since inventory is also in stock and can be called at short notice.

Employees buy the work clothes from us at a reduced price, and can keep them after they leave. Those who do not want to keep the clothes are welcome to leave them with us at the hotel and they will be put in stock. The exception to this is the kitchen. The clothes are provided free of charge and belong to the hotel.”

By the way: regional partners also equip the team with traditional outfits at Hotel Das Rübezahl. The main focus here is on durability. In addition, the clothing is reused, which is possible without any problems due to the good quality.

Clothing pool and regional laundry in the SCHWARZWALD PANORAMA

“We give our work clothes to the dry cleaners in cloth garment bags and not in plastic bags as usual. We reuse the clothes of employees who have left the company. These are cleaned and brought back to us. For each department we have a “clothing pool” with different sizes to lend to new employees. Our laundry is regional, so CO2 can be saved on travel.”

• Service: White blouse, black pants, black shoes, brown apron, brown scarf/tie.
• Reception: White blouse, black pants, black shoes, blue neckerchief/tie
• Office: White blouse, black trousers, black shoes
• Housekeeping: Green tunic, white trousers, comfortable shoes

Have you ever thought about sustainable workwear in a hotel? And what do you personally look for when choosing your clothes?

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