By Kristy Dorsey
A Scottish firm working to combat the ills of fast fashion has received nearly £1 million in government grant funding to accelerate its journey to becoming a net zero company.
Based at the Eurocentral industrial estate, Advanced Clothing Solutions (ACS) moved into everyday garment rental after its formalwear hire business came to a near-standstill during last year’s Covid lockdowns. With fresh financial backing from Scottish Enterprise, it is now embarking on two projects to expand its circular fashion services.
The funding includes £450,000 for the further development of its existing garment refurbishment, renewal and fulfilment business. An additional £500,000 will go towards a partnership with US clothing rental business CaaStle to establish a subscription clothing rental service in the UK.
The projects will lead to the creation of 147 new jobs at ACS, which currently employs 130 people.
Founded in 1997, ACS has developed an enhanced cleaning process that eliminates odours while also killing bacteria and viruses. Its system also saves on energy, water and chemical usage.
READ MORE: Rental firm in ‘Netflix of clothing’ enterprise
Thanks to adopting such greener practices, chief operating officer Anthony Burns said the company can now confidently say that none of its waste goes to landfill. Furthermore, ACS claims it is on track to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2025.
“By addressing many of the environmental pitfalls commonly associated with the fashion industry, we’re moving towards a greener, more sustainable, low-carbon future,” he said. “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.”
Mr Burns said ACS is rebuilding from last year’s downturn, with revenues for the 12 months to May on course to reach £8 million. Chief financial officer Andrew Rough added that the support from Scottish Enterprise has allowed the company to manage increasing volumes.
“Our relationship with Scottish Enterprise facilitates our drive to net zero, and provides a wealth of knowledge, consultancy and networking opportunities,” Mr Rough said.
“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.”
ACS has been working with sustainability specialists from Scottish Enterprise since 2017. Andy McDonald, head of low carbon transition at Scottish Enterprise, said the funding for ACS comes at a time when Scotland’s collective journey towards net zero and green job creation “has never been more important”.
READ MORE: New research from Zero Waste Scotland and Circle Economy reveals scale of sustainable jobs
“With COP26 on the horizon it’s great to see an innovative Scottish company tackling the issue of fast fashion in particular,” he said.
“ACS 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.”
With what is said to be the largest laundry facility in Scotland, ACS is 60% owned by its management team. The remainder of the business is in the hands of private equity house Boost & Co, which provides venture debt and growth capital to small and medium-sized UK firms.
Since focusing its efforts on everyday rental clothing, the company has worked with the likes of HireStreet, My WardrobeHQ, EndlessWardrobe, Rotaro and Moss Bros.
According to some estimates, the greenhouse gases emitted in the production, manufacture and transportation of the millions of garments purchased every year contribute more to climate change than the annual pre-pandemic emissions of air and sea travel combined. The industry is on course to account for a quarter of the world’s carbon budget by 2050.
Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slater said the Scottish Government is set to introduce a bill to hep tackle the country’s “throwaway culture”.
“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,” she added.
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