Most of us pull on a school uniform without a second thought about what it is made of, and so do the parents who buy them. In the UK, the answer is overwhelmingly polyester, a fibre derived from the same PET plastic used for drinks bottles, which sheds microplastics as it is worn and washed. A child will spend an estimated 18,000 hours in these garments, often directly against the skin, and labels are not required to say which chemicals have been used.
A Single Thread has launched a petition asking the UK government to make school uniforms certified safe. We spoke to founder Amelia Twine and Dr Helle Abelvik-Lawson, Campaign and Communications Lead, about what the campaign wants to change and why.
SELVEDGE: Hello, and thank you so much for speaking with Selvedge. Before we get into the detail, could you tell our readers a little about who you are and what first drew your organisation to school uniforms?
AMELIA TWINE: We are A Single Thread CIC, a little Bristol-based non-profit working in citizen behaviour change. We’re the only organisation that works directly with communities across the UK to shift fashion habits, through activities that make sustainable fashion relevant, accessible and joyful. Over the last six years we’ve built a dynamic annual programme of events and campaigns, including Sustainable Fashion Week, for which we’re best known.
Our focus to date has always been on the citizen and how we can share skills and knowledge at a grassroots level to collectively reduce the demand for fast fashion. But as we watch the volumes of virgin polyester used in garment production rise each year, and learn more about the potential harm caused by wearing plastic fibres and chemical coatings on clothing, we wanted to take action in a different direction. Safe School Uniforms is our first campaign that will lobby the UK Government and seek to make change happen upstream.
I worked with a friend and colleague, Natalie Johnson, for over a year to initiate the campaign as we both wanted to protect children from inadequately regulated clothing production. School uniforms quickly became the focus as children spend so much of their young lives wearing them and they are ultimately forced upon families. If children are made to wear a uniform to access their education, the Government should ensure the clothing is safe.
S: Let’s start with the heart of the petition. You say an average UK child will wear their uniform for over 18,000 hours of their critical development years. Could you explain which chemicals and fibres concern you most, and what the evidence is telling us so far?
HELLE ABELVIK-LAWSON: We looked at all the most up-to-date scientific research available on chemical coatings and microplastics-shedding synthetics – including lab testing by Greenpeace in 2025 on SHEIN products, and a great big report about the overuse of polyester from Changing Markets Foundation in 2024.
There’s evidence that chemicals like phthalates, formaldehyde, BPA and PFAS (also called ‘forever chemicals’) are still being used in clothing – and potentially in amounts that may be non-compliant with the UK’s chemical regulatory framework, which the government acknowledges is in urgent need of reform.
We think the government has taken its eye off the ball when it comes to chemicals in clothing – and this could turn out to be a real risk to children’s long-term health through daily wearing of uniforms. For example, PFAS still haven’t been banned in school uniforms, despite attempts by the House of Lords and the Environmental Audit Committee to demand a ban in the last couple of years. Luckily, these aren’t used by the supermarkets and uniform retailers at all anymore, which is reassuring. But it only takes one dodgy fast fashion company to flood the market with cheap polyester uniforms that aren’t rigorously tested. If a chemical is not explicitly banned, or if a company can avoid compliance testing of levels used, then there’s really nothing to stop them using it as an additive – and this can be for totally irrelevant reasons like avoiding creasing in weeks-long shipping-container transport.
The other big one is the massive overuse of polyester in school uniforms – especially skirts and pinafores, trousers, blazers and sportswear, but also polyester-mixes in skin-contact shirts. Polyester is PET plastic, the same as used in plastic bottles, and sheds microplastics that go deep into our bodies by being inhaled and ingested – with alarming evidence it can trigger inflammation and cause long-term diseases, all to do with the heart and lungs, neurodevelopmental health, even fertility. Now that we’re out of the EU, there’s nothing at all in the works to update our laws and policies regulating microplastics-shedding synthetics. (The European Commission is being urged to address this via their 2030 microplastic reduction target, but of course we would not be affected by any of the measures they adopt.)
For children, forced to wear these clothes every single day, for years and years, it feels unconscionable to not have better regulation around chemicals and polyester in school uniforms.
Graph illustrating the rise of polyester in fast fashion.
S: Polyester seems to be everywhere in school uniforms, and you point out that recycled polyester may shed even more than virgin. How did it become the default, and what would it take for retailers to move away from it?
HA-L: In a word, polyester became the default because it is cheap. It’s half as much per kilogram as cotton. The Changing Markets research is really good on exactly why it is everywhere: because polyester is made from petrochemicals derived from fossil fuels – it’s a rapidly expanding market for the fossil fuel industry, which is facing dwindling profits due to much-needed climate action around the world.
There’s a staggering graph in their 2024 Fashion’s Plastic Paralysis report which shows that synthetics production overtook cotton in 2000. Polyester production was double what it was in 2000 by 2020 and continues to rise sharply. Without action to tackle it, we’ll be drowning in synthetic, unrecyclable textiles by 2030. I call it the polyester apocalypse.
All the while, this dizzying cycle of production and waste (which is why we call it “fast fashion”) means consumers are buying and throwing away more clothing than ever, mostly because it’s cheap, and because its lower quality means it might not even last a season – or the school year. It’s definitely going to be a very tough cycle to break, requiring lots of regulation and consumer action. But if we have to start somewhere, we might as well start with the most vulnerable amongst us who can’t choose for themselves what their clothing is made of (or even what they wear each day!).
The research about recycled polyester – that it sheds 55% more than virgin, and smaller particles more likely to get into children’s bodies – really shocked me. This is the fabric that’s put on the “eco” sections of uniform retailers’ websites! We’re saying it’s better for the environment with no thought about children’s health. That’s the wrong motivation. I personally think the overuse of recycled polyester, especially in school uniforms, is basically greenwashing. Labelling it “Recycled polyester” is just another way to market brand-new products that didn’t even need to be produced in the first place.
S: Looking ahead, you are planning an Open Letter to the UK Government by the end of 2026. What are the specific demands you will be making, and what would success look like to you in five years’ time?
HA-L: Our Open Letter to the UK Government starts with the basics – we need to hold them to the promises they made within the committee stages for the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act just passed at the beginning of this year, and their response to the Environmental Audit Committee in 2026. This was to reform UK REACH (the regulatory framework on chemicals) and make sure PFAS are explicitly banned in “nonessential” uses, like in school uniforms. We would like them to go further, to be honest, and strongly regulate the other chemicals (like phthalates, formaldehyde, BPA), and the levels they are permitted to be used in children’s clothing.
Either way, school uniforms are a mandatory purchase and consumers – in this case parents – deserve far better reassurances from retailers that any finished garment bought new is rigorously tested and displays this certification prominently. Probably the best known is OEKO-Tex – I would be far more reassured to see this on a school uniform label than some of the frankly inappropriate chemical companies’ logos I’ve seen this summer!
We are also going to make big demands on polyester – keep up with the EU, start making regulations on pre-washing and eco-design, or product passports, as promised throughout the discussions for the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026. Since banning microbeads in 2018, the UK Government have done absolutely nothing to stop the scourge of microplastics – and these are microplastics polluting our children’s bodies, with terrifying implications for their long-term health! It’s time for our leaders to take urgent action.
Success in five years would be to see dramatic reductions in chemicals and synthetics in school uniforms on the rails. It would also be to see much more circularity – schools having very organised (perhaps even government-subsidised) secondhand school uniform systems in every single school, neighbourhood and community.
S: I would like to turn to something I imagine many parents are thinking. Uniforms are already a significant expense, and there is a worry that safer, natural-fibre options will cost more. How would you answer that concern, and which alternatives, such as secondhand schemes or certified fabrics, do you see as realistic?
HA-L: We totally understand the focus on affordability – we’re mums ourselves and we know the struggle. And we are definitely not advocating for any parent to rush out and buy brand new organic-cotton, OEKO-Tex certified uniforms (although Aldi does use OEKO-Tex Standard 100 in their uniforms, so it is possible to get certified garments affordably).
It’s been useful to keep our longstanding anti-fast fashion (the rapid cycle of production, consumption and disposal) focus here – which we have had since the first Sustainable Fashion Week five years ago. School uniforms have become fast fashion. They’re made in the same factories overseas, produced in massive quantities and shipped over to be sold in our major retailers – every single major supermarket sells uniform items. Even SHEIN sells school uniforms!
We especially want to try and help parents understand that buying new is not the only option – far from it! Think of how fast children grow out of uniforms – it’s a huge area ripe for organised swapping, mending, recycling and upcycling schemes. There are a few parent-founded secondhand marketplaces that sell perfect garments for 50p! And schools often give away lost property or donated items for free. We need this system to be far more organised, and available everywhere. And fortunately, a lot of the concerns over chemicals and microplastics are likely to be much less when it comes to secondhand uniforms, that have been worn many times and had the chemicals and bulk of the microplastics washed out of them.
In 2022, research found that 1.4 million school uniform garments are thrown away every year, and it’s likely even more now. We need to use what we already have and pass them down through the school years, and let children learn about clothing, making, mending and upcycling. We must genuinely “recycle” uniforms to keep them in use for as long as possible. Some schools have secondhand schemes or sales (or sheds!), but successful systems need to be repeatable and made accessible across the whole of the UK.
This is about parents and schools – but it’s also something we can do in our communities. Wouldn’t it be fantastic, for example, to get every single charity shop across the country to do a School Uniform Week at the end of the school year? Or make sure every school has a uniform-saving champion? Or have local sewing groups sew school crests and numbers on to plain cotton T-shirts, so football teams don’t have to wear extra-sweaty polyester to play? The opportunities are endless. The creativity of people, the resources and infrastructure, it’s all there – it just needs a little bit of coordinating. We think A Single Thread is a perfect fit to help parents rise to this challenge.
Hayfield knitting pattern for a school cardigan.
S: I remember a time when school uniforms were often handmade, and I suspect I am not alone. Could an initiative that aligns with your petition encourage schools to relax their uniform rules, so that a hand-knitted cardigan or a home-sewn pinafore would be acceptable? Might we see a return to craft and making as part of the answer?
AT: I think this is such a valid suggestion! School uniform is an outdated and unnecessary burden that families have to bear. We’re one of the few countries in Europe which still value the uniformity of children’s appearance whilst accessing education. Where once it was seen as a leveller for families who might not have access to better quality clothing, in today’s clothing landscape it doesn’t serve the same purpose. In speaking with parents, we’ve also heard how school uniforms can present a challenge for neurodiverse children who struggle with sensory processing disorder. The fabrics and fit can become such a source of stress that in some cases children struggle to attend school.
We would wholeheartedly agree with scrapping school uniforms, or with changes to policies to make them relaxed and inclusive. Where perhaps a couple of colours are the focus, but the fabric, fit, gender neutrality and appearance of the garments can widely vary. And of course, even better would be a scheme run by the school or college to teach children and their families the skills to mend and even make uniforms. A return to craft and making is always the answer!
Left: The Duke of Connaught inspecting the boys at a foundling hospital, 1924. Photo: Corom Family/Foundling Museum. Right: Modern day school uniforms.
S: Your petition arrives at a time when many people are questioning the direction of UK schools. Smartphone Free Childhood is asking us to rethink technology, and some parents are calling for more flexibility around holidays in term time. How do you see your campaign fitting into that wider change, and do you feel parents are becoming more willing to challenge things that schools have long treated as fixed?
AT: Overall, globally, we’re in a time of such intense transition. So much of the status quo is being questioned, challenged and reimagined. In the UK, we are seeing an upswelling of citizen action in many directions, but particularly in areas where our children need protecting. We learn from history all the time – things that were once considered safe prove to be unsafe and industries are then regulated to account for potential or known harms. We’ve seen this in the banning of asbestos or plastic microbeads in toothpastes.
Our Safe School Uniforms campaign sits neatly in alignment with Smartphone Free Childhood and other campaigns that take a stand for our children’s health and wellbeing. As schools play such an overwhelmingly large role in the shaping of our children’s lives and futures, they must be active participants in adjusting policies and structures to account for the landscape of childhood today. This means tackling the impact of tech and social media, making changes to teaching to make it work for all children and addressing any outdated ways of operating that aren’t now fit for purpose.
Childhood is a different world to what we experienced 25 years ago. Schools are working hard to adapt in many ways, but there is a long way to go. Parents should also play an active role in co-designing achievable school-level changes to policies – ideas and knowledge often need to come from the bottom up.
S: Finally, for a reader who cares about this and wants to help, what are the most useful first steps they can take today to change school uniforms?
HA-L: The first step is signing the petition – and do share it too with anyone who might be interested. By signing, anyone that wants to help will be the first to receive email updates and further resources, to use in school and local communities. We have a lot planned!
AT: We want to gather a strong, UK-wide network of concerned parents to help us promote and develop the Safe School Uniforms campaign. Our next step is our Open Letter to the UK Government, but this will just be the start of our wider work. We’ll be developing practical models for new school uniform ecosystems in schools, working hand in hand with parents, PTAs and schools. So, while we’re campaigning upstream to change how uniform is produced, we’ll be working on the ground downstream to create easy and affordable solutions for parents who are fed up with being forced to buy plastic clothes for their kids. Sign the petition, follow us on Instagram and sign up to the newsletter to share our progress.
Interview by Lauren Meta-Martin
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Further Information:
Sign the Petition for Safe School Uniforms
A Single Thread - Safe School Uniforms
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Image Credits:
All images courtesy of A Single Thread, unless referenced otherwise in captions.