The next sessions at the 2026 Uniform Buyers’ Network turn attention toward two of the most significant operational challenges facing the professional clothing sector: how to define durability in procurement, and how the industry prepares for the arrival of Digital Product Passports (DPP).
As regulations accelerate and expectations around product transparency increase, buyers and suppliers alike are being challenged to rethink how garments are specified, tested, tracked, and evaluated throughout their lifecycle.
10:45am – 11:20am
Durability – How to Measure in an RFP
PCIAW® Chair, Madeira – Balancing Cost with Performance
Durability remains one of the most important yet least standardised pillars of circularity within the uniform industry.
Longer-lasting garments play a critical role in reducing environmental impact, lowering replacement rates, and improving lifecycle value. However, many buyers still lack clear frameworks for specifying or evaluating durability consistently within RFPs.
This session explores the need for a more aligned industry approach to performance benchmarking, moving beyond minimum compliance requirements toward measurable standards that provide greater confidence for buyers during procurement.
PCIAW® will examine how testing at component level — from trims and threads to fabric performance and garment construction can help validate longevity before contract award decisions are made. The discussion will also address the ongoing challenge of balancing upfront cost pressures with long-term product performance and sustainability goals.
As circularity increasingly becomes both a commercial and regulatory priority, durability may prove to be one of the most valuable procurement metrics of all.
11:20am – 12:00pm
Digital Product Passport (DPP)
Avery Dennison, Worldline, Dayrize – DPP: A Pilot Project
Digital Product Passports are set to fundamentally reshape how the textile and clothing industry manages and communicates product information.
Upcoming EU legislation will require brands and suppliers to provide detailed, accessible data relating to product composition, sourcing, sustainability credentials, and supply chain traceability in order for products to enter the European market.
For the uniform sector, this represents a major digital transformation challenge.
In this collaborative session, PCIAW® members Avery Dennison, Worldline, and Dayrize present an early-stage pilot project designed to establish proof of concept for DPP implementation across 10 products. The discussion will offer practical insight into how value chain stakeholders must work together to collect, manage, and communicate data effectively across complex supply chains.
Attendees will gain an early look at the opportunities, technical considerations, and operational challenges surrounding DPP adoption as well as what organisations should begin preparing for now as legislation moves closer to implementation.
Together, these sessions highlight how future-ready procurement will increasingly depend not only on product performance, but on the ability to measure, validate, and digitally communicate it across the entire lifecycle.
