Dreieich, 30 July 2026 – Around 25,000 German Customs employees wear uniforms. However, garments that have reached the end of their service life do not necessarily become waste. Since 2022, CWS Workwear's return2you programme has collected and returned approximately 40,000 kilograms of uniforms to the textile value chain. This initiative shows that resource conservation and economic efficiency can work together in practice.

By reusing, recycling and repurposing end-of-life uniforms, German Customs can unlock significant annual savings while extending the use of valuable raw materials and reducing textile waste.

Together with its textile services partner CWS Workwear, German Customs has therefore implemented a circularity concept that extends the lifecycle of uniforms beyond their original use. The aim is to keep materials in circulation for as long as possible, creating new opportunities for the recovery of end-of-life textiles.

Circularity instead of disposal

As part of the return2you programme, through which CWS Workwear has returned around 40,000 kilograms of workwear to the textile cycle since 2022, German Customs is committed to reusing, recycling and repurposing end-of-life uniforms.

The uniforms are designed with sustainability in mind. Once they are no longer required, they are collected through dedicated return points. This creates transparent pathways for the reuse and recovery of used textiles, helping to conserve valuable resources in the process.

Depending on the condition of the garments, different recovery routes are applied:

• Refurbishment and repair: Suitable garments are cleaned, repaired and prepared for further use.
• Fibre-to-fibre recycling: Recoverable materials are processed into fibres and used in the production of new textiles.
• Further material recovery: Materials that cannot be reused or recycled into high-quality textile products are directed to alternative material recovery processes, such as the production of insulation materials.

A model for a more sustainable textile industry

Particularly in the workwear sector, where garments are used on a large scale, circular economy approaches offer considerable potential for conserving resources and reducing waste.

The German Customs project is an example of responsible textile management in the public sector. Through “return2you”, the authority demonstrates how end-of-life uniforms can become a valuable resource rather than waste, creating new opportunities for reuse, recycling and material recovery.