DHL Supply Chain – Driving sustainability in partnership with the Metropolitan Police

Delivering more sustainable products and operations goes to the very heart of the National Uniform Managed Service, a partnership between the Metropolitan Police Service and DHL to manage the end-to-end uniform and equipment supply for over 100,000 officers.

Through a range of highly innovative and impactful solutions, the service has reduced CO2 emissions, diminished plastic/waste in the supply chain, and increased the volume of recycled products through sustainable end-of-life processes including closed loop solutions.

Highlights include: - Introducing one of the UK’s first recyclable fleece worn by UK policing: Through an innovative fabric and simple disposal process, at the end of life the garments are returned shredded into pellets to be turned back into yarn before being re-manufactured into material in a closed loop process.

- Saving 14,414kg Co2 emissions and removing 14,0000 kg plastics through the introduction of more sustainable packaging for outbound deliveries.

- Removing over 700,000 pieces of packaging from police shirts.

- Returned body armour is sorted, harvested, and sent to a commercial partner who splits the Kevlar into fibres which are then reused in the automotive industry on products such as brake pads and clutches.

- Launching a national sustainability centre to maximise re-use and recycling of Police Uniform.