Case Study 1

Branded polo shirts that help orange and black become greener

As an iconic New Zealand brand with more than 90 stores, Mitre 10 is striving to achieve higher levels of
sustainability with everything they do, including how they outfit their retail teams. During a recent brand
refreshment, they partnered with WStar to update the look, longevity and carbon footprint of their employee
polo shirts.

The challenge – updating company polo shirts

Wstar worked closely with Mitre 10 to understand the functional and branding requirements for a new range
of employee polo shirts. During this information-gathering stage, we observed employees at work and
captured their input related to comfort, practicality and laundering. Then we used our own knowledge of
sustainable uniform design and production to develop a customised solution, which was presented to Mitre 10’s
management team.

Our solution – sustainable polo shirts

The solution we offered Mitre 10 had multiple benefits:

• A switch from virgin polyester to 100% recycled rPET polyester. Around 15 PET drink bottles go into a single polo
  shirt, so fewer empty bottles end up in landfill and waterways.
  
  
• Repurposing end-of-life shirts, which involves WStar collecting Mitre 10’s old shirts and sending them to a
  facility for repurposing or recycling into new products.
  
  
• Meeting all brand and sub-branding needs with ground-breaking FUSIONTECH™ polo shirt printing
  technology, which ensures garments look good for longer.

The result – uniforms that make everyone happy

Mitre 10’s new uniform polo shirts tick all the boxes. The shirts have been well-received by retail employees, who
are proud their polos are made from recycled bottles. Mitre 10’s management are also pleased, because the
new solution assists with meeting sustainability targets. This project is a great example of how modern thinking
can simultaneously support branding, work comfort and environmental goals.