The Challenge: Rethinking Uniform for a Better Tomorrow
As the world’s largest submarine sandwich brand, Subway serves millions daily, but with great scale comes greater responsibility. Like many in the quick service restaurant (QSR) sector, Subway faced growing pressure to reduce environmental impact across all touch points, including uniform supply.
In 2023, Subway made a bold commitment: to design and launch a new range of uniform made from recycled materials, while ensuring the old garments were disposed of responsibly. With over 550,000 new uniforms rolled out across 2,300 UK and Ireland locations, Subway needed a solution that not only upheld brand protection but also aligned with its wider sustainability strategy.
Outdated or damaged uniforms pose a reputational risk when disposed of incorrectly. From hygiene concerns to the misuse of branded garments, secure end-of-life disposal was essential. At the same time, simply sending these textiles to landfill would contradict the brand’s public sustainability promises, including reducing waste, repurposing materials, and contributing to a circular economy.
The Solution: A Secure Circular Approach with SecureBrand®
To meet this challenge, Subway partnered with Avena Group, selecting the SecureBrand service to securely collect and process surplus and end-of-life uniforms. This specialist service is tailored for branded textiles, combining security, sustainability, and full traceability.
Old uniform was collected directly from franchise locations using CCTV-equipped, GPS-tracked vehicles operated by DBS-checked staff. Once at Avena’s accredited facilities, each item was shredded beyond recognition, safeguarding Subway’s brand, before being repurposed where possible into further-life products
Even surplus stock was diverted from waste. Notably, 1,000 aprons were donated to charity partner Rethink Food, where they were transformed into watercress grow mats for use in UK schools, supporting environmental education and food sustainability initiatives.
The Result: A Footprint Award-Winning Success
By partnering with Avena, Subway successfully collected and repurposed over 8,000 kilograms of uniforms, ensuring zero landfill while maintaining brand integrity.
More than 3.78 million plastic bottles were used in the production of the new uniforms, and each garment proudly displays the number of bottles repurposed, with caps using three bottles, aprons up to twelve, and tee shirts combining Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) cotton with recycled polyester.
This ambitious project earned Subway the Stakeholder Engagement Award at the Footprint Awards 2025, recognising the brand’s leadership in embedding sustainability into operations and supply chain practices.
The Testimonial: A Shared Vision for Sustainability and Security
Louise Wardle, VP of Marketing EMEA at Subway®, said:
“This is still only the beginning, and we hope to make further progress in the years ahead – stay tuned.”
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