280,000 ‘Infinitee’ certified garments to launch this summer as part of wider uniform redesign project, shaped by the views of 55,000 girls and volunteers.
Girlguiding, the UK’s largest youth organisation dedicated to girls, has achieved certification from the Circular Textiles Foundation (CTF) for over half of its new uniform collection, following a four-year national project to redesign the range.
Co-created with nearly 55,000 of its members, sustainability was highlighted as a key consideration by girls from the very beginning with lots of their uniform designs including requests to protect the planet by using recyclable and eco-friendly materials. The project is just one of many sitting within Girlguiding’s wider environmental plan for the organisation to become more sustainable, with the aim of cutting its overall carbon emissions by 50% by 2040.
Colleagues from the Girlguiding team that worked on this huge project will be speaking at the POC Conference on 11 November 2026, sharing the process that was undertaken to maximise the sustainability credentials of the garments while staying practical, affordable, hard-wearing, and comfortable.
The new certified collection spans 15 styles worn across all four Girlguiding sections for girls aged 4-18 — Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers — as well as by young leaders and adult unit Leaders, with 280,000 garments produced for the collection’s launch over the summer. Each style has been assessed against CTF’s Design for Recyclability criteria, confirming that the garments can be processed through fibre-to-fibre recycling at end of life, rather than being sent to landfill or incineration.
Every certified garment will carry the ‘Infinitee’ mark, CTF’s on-product certification confirming it has been assessed as compatible with existing fibre-to-fibre recycling technologies.
A key change delivered through the redesign project is the move from polyurethane (PU) based prints to water-based prints across the collection. PU prints act as a contaminant in fibre-to-fibre recycling, meaning printed garments would previously have been rejected by recyclers or downgraded. By converting every print in the range, Girlguiding and its supply partners have removed one of the most common barriers to textile recycling without compromising print quality.
Felicity Oswald, Girlguiding CEO, said: “Engaging 55,000 girls is an enormous collaborative effort, but throughout the process girls haverepeatedly told us how much they care about the environment and the importance of sustainability.
“We’re really proud to have created a uniform range that will carry the ‘Infinitee’ certification mark, all while looking great and being comfortable and practical enough to wear for every guiding adventure. By designing the uniform to last, and be passed on for continued use, we’ll also be helping to ensure participation in guiding is kept affordable and sustainable for future generations to come.”
Tim Cross, Founder and CEO of the Circular Textiles Foundation, said: “With 280,000 garments at launch, this is circular design at genuinely national scale. Every garment carrying the ‘Infinitee’ mark has been independently assessed against our Design for Recyclability criteria, so parents and volunteers know it can be recycled into new fibre at end of life, not sent to landfill or incineration.
“Girlguiding’s decision to reformulate every print in the range shows what’s possible when recyclability is built in from the start. It’s proof that designing for recyclability doesn’t mean compromising on quality, comfort or how a garment looks, it simply means making the right choices early.”
The project reflects a growing shift among uniform providers towards designing out barriers to recycling at the point of manufacture. Because uniform ranges are produced at volume, to consistent specifications, over long periods, changes made at design stage compound year on year, making them one of the most effective categories in which to embed circular design.
