To celebrate the launch of the new Presca Sportswear sale on SportPursuit, we invited the Presca team to introduce the brand to us and explain their approach to sustainability. Shop the Presca collection now

We’re a group of cyclists, triathletes and runners who are as passionate about the world we live in as the sports we love. We started this journey eight years ago because we wanted sportswear to be better. 

Better made. Better to wear. Better for the planet.

We’re not perfect at Presca, but the reason we set up shop in the first place was because we knew there were better, more enlightened and – yes – more sustainable ways to make sportswear. The difference is in our detail – our designers have focused on creating the very best clothing for cycling, while incorporating their expertise in sustainable design and fabrics. 

Whenever you buy clothing, you are having an impact. Buying garments made from recycled materials through Presca (and others who share our principles) reduces that impact. Our ambition both as a brand and as a company is to do 100% good.

Design

We spend a huge amount of our time thinking about how Presca can be part of the solution, and at the core of our mission is a strong Design Philosophy. We make and deliver our clothing using circular principles:

1) Use only recycled fabrics and fibres

2) ‘Design out’ any wastage

3) Manufacture every item to last – durable and repairable

4) Ensure all garments and packaging are recyclable or biodegradable

We invest a lot of time in designing high quality sportswear that will stand the test of extended use while continuing to perform at the highest level. High quality leads to longevity, so for each constituent element – from fabrics to labelling, stitching and zips – we are rigorous in choosing the best options throughout the design and manufacturing process.

Manufacture

Our garments use cutting-edge materials made from waste resources like recycled plastic bottles and old fishing nets. As a result, our sportswear uses less water and energy in its production and helps clean the planet by using up these discarded materials. Where we use natural fibres, we work with the most sustainable options available anywhere, and are constantly testing new fabrics to lead the way to fully circular clothing.

We’ve chosen to manufacture our sportswear in Europe to keep our supply chains short, reduce emissions, and to enable us to build closer, more transparent relationships with our partners. Our key manufacturing partner uses 100% renewable energy to make Presca sportswear, and only work with organisations across our supply chain that share our values on sustainability, workers’ rights, and ethics.

Circularity 

We’re aiming to be the world’s first truly circular sportswear brand. Circularity forms part of our Design Philosophy, and in 2020 we launched our first fully circular garments, which means they are 100% recycled and 100% recyclable. By the end of 2022, we’re aiming for all of our new ranges to be fully recyclable. That means when your garment has genuinely reached the end of the road you’ll be able to send it back to us using our Trade In scheme – we’ll get it ready for a brand new journey as part of a newly manufactured piece.

Extending the life of your garments (one of the key principles of circularity) can significantly reduce their whole lifecycle impact. WRAP research shows that extending the life of clothes by nine months can reduce carbon, water, and waste footprints by between 4 and 10 percent each.

Pack

We know how self-defeating and demoralising it can be when your otherwise ‘environmentally friendly’ purchase turns up wrapped in layers of plastic… we see it time and again. But we acknowledge that packaging is one of our industry’s biggest challenges and that every available option has both upsides and downsides. 

In 2020 we completely phased out plastic polybags and other single-use plastics from all our operations. We now package our garments in home-compostable bags. We know this isn’t a golden bullet, as the infrastructure to compost these bags isn’t fully sustainable. But we think it’s the ‘least-worst’ option available right now and see it very much as a transitional step along the way to fully sustainable packaging.

Why our garments are better for the planet

At Presca, we wear our eco credentials on our recycled fabric sleeves! For example, take a closer look at our Grand Tour Jersey, a popular garment in our cycling range. According to assessment by Green Story the materials and processes used for this jersey leads to the following positive impacts compared to a normal garment:

In 2021, we launched our Presca workshop, which includes a range of services, designed to prolong the lifespan of your items, and reducing the need to buy new. In association with Dr Pad, Presca now offer the first UK based pad replacement service. Using a local Bristol seamstress, Presca removes and replaces the old pads from your bib shorts or tri suits, we pop in a new one, package them back up (using sustainable packaging) and send them back to your door.

Presca’s Trade In scheme also gives the opportunity for our community to send us back their old Presca kit, and we will re-purpose it, either by reselling as a pre-loved item, donating, or where possible, recycling. For every garment that gets sent back to Presca Trade In not only be benefits the planet, but we also give credit to use on something new from the Presca store.