Workwear Solutions are proud to be sponsoring this year’s Uniform Buyers Network Road Show! The second instalment of this in-person conference comes at an important time for WSI, as we are celebrating our 10-year anniversary this June.
“If the Milton Keynes event in 2025 set the standard for informed, honest discussion in professional clothing, the 2026 Dublin conference is set to raise the bar even higher, delivering the insights uniform buyers need”.
Nisha Muire – Manager, Uniform Program – Brand Management, Air Canada & Founding Member and Chairperson of the Uniform Buyers’ Network.
Join us on the 4th of June for an inspiring and insightful knowledge-sharing event, tailored to support and empower buyers of professional clothing. The event is free for uniform buyers to attend. Register here: https://pciaw.org/buyers-registration/.
For an initial breakdown of the day, please see below. Final speakers are to be confirmed over the next couple of weeks, but discussion topics will remain.
➡️ 09:45AM – 10:10AM – UBN Priorities
Regulations for Industry/RFP Specifications for Buyers: in a rapidly evolving uniform industry shaped by changing regulations and Standards, sustainability, inclusive fit, and technical performance demands, meaningful change depends on how buyers define and implement requirements at the RFP stage.
➡️ 10:10AM – 10:45AM – EPR & Circular Uniforms: Not Acting Will Cost You More Later
A Circular Case Study – An Post: how forward-thinking RFP decisions and circular uniform design can help buyers futureproof contracts against evolving EPR costs while supporting a true textile-to-textile ecosystem.
➡️ 10:45AM – 11:20AM – How to Measure Durability in an RFP
Balancing Cost with Performance: how establishing industry-wide standards and component-level testing could help uniform buyers confidently evaluate product longevity in RFPs and drive higher performance benchmarks beyond minimum compliance requirements.
➡️ 11:20AM – 12:00PM – Digital Product Passports
DPP: A Pilot Project: as Digital Product Passport legislation approaches, how can buyers prepare for new transparency and traceability requirements? Preliminary insights of a collaborative 10-product pilot project to demonstrate practical, actionable strategies for aligning procurement and supply chain practices with evolving EU regulations.
➡️ 12:00pm – 1:15PM – Networking Lunch
➡️ 1:15PM – 1:50PM – Recycling Workwear at End of Life
An Open Loop Alternative: how open-loop recycling can transform end-of-life workwear into circular construction materials, offering brands a practical alternative for closing the loop when durable multi-fibre garments cannot be recycled through textile-to-textile systems.
➡️ 1:50PM – 2:25PM – Inclusive PPE
From Industry Standard to Parliament: how the new British Standard BS 30417 addresses the urgent need for inclusive PPE design, and how it can help buyers embed better fit, safety, and accessibility requirements into RFP specifications for diverse workforces.
➡️ 2:25PM – 3:00PM – Fit Challenges in Professional Clothing
Outdated Anthropometrics: widespread fit challenges across industries are often caused by outdated sizing data and poor pattern adaptation, highlighting the need for buyers to embed inclusive PPE requirements into RFPs to better support diverse genders, body types, and job roles.
➡️ 3:30PM – 4:05PM – Networking Coffee Break
➡️ 3:30PM – 4:05PM – The Solutions Start at Fibre Level
Turbulent Climates Require Thermoregulating Uniforms: how fibre-level innovations in thermoregulation, durability, recyclability, and inclusive fit can help buyers address evolving environmental conditions, improve wearer wellbeing, and overcome technical challenges in future uniform and PPE specifications.
➡️ 4:05PM – 4:40 – Uniform Buyers Network Open Discussion
➡️ 4:40 – 4:45 – Closing Remarks
For more information about the day, please visit https://pciaw.org/pciaw-uniform-buyers-network-2026/ & https://pciaw.org/uniform-buyers-network/#road-show
The Uniform Buyers Network (UBN) is a ‘closed-shop, peer-to-peer group, designed support procurement teams in optimising tenders, navigating complex requirement setting, and addressing emerging regulatory mandates’.
