WELCOME TO THE
CIRCULAR
FASHION HUB
WE’RE CLOSING THE LOOP ON FASHION
At ACS, we envision a future where circular fashion is industry standard for brands and retailers, like rental and resale. We aim to decouple economic growth from the extraction of natural resources.
Circular fashion encourages extended use of garments and minimises the environmental challenges caused by overproduction of textiles.
Our Sustainability Ambitions
Since 2019, ACS Clothing Ltd. has been pursuing a bold vision to transform the fashion industry through circular economy principles, sustainable innovation, and inclusive growth.
Today, our sustainability strategy is built around ten interconnected Circular Economy Ambitions that provide a clear roadmap towards a more sustainable, inclusive, and regenerative future:
1. Making Sustainable Fashion Attractive & Affordable
We are committed to removing cost and perception barriers by making circular fashion the most appealing and accessible option for customers and businesses alike. Through innovation and scale, we aim to prove that sustainability and commercial value can go hand in hand.
2. Cementing ACS's Leadership in Circular Fashion Infrastructure
We continue to invest in the systems, technology, and partnerships that enable circular fashion at scale. Our goal is to position ACS as a trusted infrastructure partner powering circularity across the fashion ecosystem.
3. Transforming Waste into Value Through Circular Innovation
We are rethinking waste as a resource, driving innovation to recover, reuse, and repurpose textiles that would otherwise be lost.
4. Achieving Net Zero Carbon Emissions
We are working towards net zero by reducing emissions across our operations and value chain. This includes improving efficiency, transitioning to low-carbon alternatives, and embedding carbon accountability in our decision-making.
5. Leading with Clean Power
We are committed to powering our operations with renewable energy wherever possible. By reducing dependence on fossil fuels, we aim to significantly lower our environmental footprint.
6. Toward Zero-Impact Cleaning
We are continuously improving our cleaning processes to minimise water, chemical, and energy use.
Our ambition is to deliver industry-leading garment care with the lowest possible environmental impact.
7. Building a Regenerative, Nature-Rich Future
Beyond reducing harm, we aim to actively contribute to restoring natural systems.
We are exploring opportunities to support biodiversity, resource regeneration, and nature-positive outcomes.
8. Championing Whole-Person Welfare
We are dedicated to supporting the wellbeing, development, and dignity of our people. This includes creating a safe, inclusive workplace where individuals can thrive both professionally and personally.
9. Championing Equity, Diversity & Inclusion in the Circular Economy
We strive to build a circular economy that is fair, inclusive, and representative of all communities. By embedding equity and diversity into our practices, we aim to create broader opportunities across the sector.
10. Redefining Leadership Through Standards & Shared Impact
We aim to lead by example through transparency, collaboration, and high standards of accountability. By sharing knowledge and driving collective action, we seek to amplify impact beyond our own operations.
Together, these ambitions reflect our commitment to creating positive environmental, social, and economic impact while helping to accelerate the transition from a linear to a circular fashion industry.
Our Net Zero Journey
ACS has been measuring and reporting greenhouse gas emissions since 2019 and has achieved significant reductions across its operations. We publish our carbon footprint annually and continue to work with independent partners to monitor, verify, and improve our performance.
Since 2019, ACS has reduced total emissions by 58%, including virtually eliminating Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions through renewable energy, energy efficiency, and operational improvements. We also measure and report Scope 3 emissions across our value chain and are developing methodologies to quantify the avoided emissions delivered through our circular business model.
Our ambition is not simply to reduce our own emissions, but to help customers reduce theirs through garment rental, repair, refurbishment, resale, reuse, and recycling.
Measuring What Matters
Our Sustainability Balanced Scorecard provides a framework for measuring progress across environmental, social, and governance performance. Key indicators include carbon emissions, energy use, water consumption, waste reduction, workplace safety, employee wellbeing, diversity and inclusion, learning and development, and social impact.
These measures are embedded throughout the organisation, ensuring sustainability is integrated into decision-making at every level and aligned with our commitment to balancing People, Planet, and Prosperity.
At ACS, sustainability is not a programme, it is the foundation of our business model and our purpose.
ACS is redesigning the future of fashion and providing solutions to the fast fashion crisis
%
of annual GHG emissions are emitted by the fashion industry
worth of clothing sits in UK wardrobes unworn
tonnes of clothing in the UK goes to landfill each year
%
of consumers consider sustainable materials to be a factor in purchasing a fashion item.
(USD) The global resale market is expected to reach by 2029
%
of consumers are interested in investing in circular fashion like rental and resale
Carbon Neutral Company on our journey towards net-zero by 2030.
By calculating our scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions across all areas of ACS, we can visualise our progress so far. This helps us understand the steps we must take next to create a just and sustainable future for the next generations.
Reusable packaging, built into every rental
We’ve redesigned how rental garments travel with a reusable packaging solution developed in partnership with Movopack, to cut waste and emissions from single-use cardboard packaging.
Every rental order now travels in a reusable box designed to complete the full rental journey. It carries garments from our distribution centre to customers before returning to ACS for reuse, supporting the circular model at the core of our operations.
For nearly 30 years, ACS has helped extend the life of garments through rental, repair, refurbishment, resale and reuse, and introducing reusable packaging allows us to apply the same circular principles to the logistics supporting these services.
ACS x Movopack Reusable Packaging Partnership
We’ve partnered with Movopack to bring reusable packaging into our rental logistics operations, extending circularity beyond the garments we manage. The reusable boxes are used to transport rental garments between our distribution centre and customers, replacing...
Supporting circular rental logistics
The Movopack packaging is integrated into the ACS rental journey:
- Shipped to the customer. Rental garments leave our distribution centre in reusable packaging.
- Returned to ACS. Customers return the garments using the same box.
- Once returned, the packaging is inspected, cleaned, and prepared for its next shipment, ready to be reused more than 20 times.
Making returns simple for customers
Customer experience is central to the success of any reuse system.
The return process has therefore been designed to be intuitive, convenient and simple. Customers receive their rental garments in the same reusable packaging they use to return them, reducing unnecessary packaging waste.
This creates a practical circular system in which packaging is not discarded after a single delivery, but as an operational asset that continues to provide value across multiple rental cycles.
Measurable environmental benefits
Compared with traditional single-use cardboard packaging, Movopack’s reusable packaging delivers measurable environmental and commercial benefits across its lifecycle:
- More than €100,000 in savings over three years
- 98% reduction in packaging waste
- 85% lower carbon footprint
- 94% lower water consumption
- 78% lower energy consumption
Through our partnership with Movopack, ACS is continuing to build the infrastructure needed to make circular fashion scalable and commercially viable.
By reducing reliance on single-use materials, simplifying returns and enabling packaging to complete multiple journeys, the initiative makes every stage of the rental journey more circular.
FAQs
Does the final consumer need to do anything different to return their rental garment in reusable packaging?
No. Customers simply return their rental garments in the same reusable box they received them in.
What happens to the packaging after it is returned to ACS?
It’s sent to Movopack for cleaning and inspection, and then re-enters the cycle for the next rental order.
How many times can the packaging be reused
A reusable box can be reused more than 20 times
Is there an extra cost for using reusable packaging
No. It’s part of the standard rental service.
We are certified B-Corp. This ensures ACS makes balanced business decisions and measures our impact on our staff, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment.
B-Corp’s impact framework measures Governance, Workers, Community, Environment and Customers. This helps us measure our overall environmental/social performance.
We voluntarily communicate our performance and impact in environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters to our stakeholders.