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Reusing vs. Recycling
Some cap and gown companies are introducing souvenir (one-time use) gowns made of recycled materials such as used plastic bottles as a way to reduce waste going to landfills. The outcome, however, is still the same. The gown is used once after which it ends up in a landfill, unlikely to decompose at all.

Our solution is to provide programs to schools, colleges and universities that encourage reuse of souvenir gowns. Our souvenir gowns are constructed so well they can be used an average of six times, not just once. Numerous years of testing has proven our reuse program to be a successful solution for environmentally conscious academic institutions.

Wash and Wear vs. Dry Cleaning
We took the initiative almost two decades ago to remove dry cleaning as the method to clean our rental gowns after each use. The reason: dry cleaning chemicals are extremely unfriendly to the environment.

The investment in wash and wear fabrics placed us at the forefront of the "Go Green" movement years before it became popular. Simply put, we saw it as the right thing to do. Rental gowns provided by University Cap & Gown are cleaned after each use using environmentally friendly biodegradable detergents.

Rental vs. Souvenir
The use of souvenir (i.e., one-use; keepers; disposable) graduation caps and gowns has steadily grown in popularity since the 1970s. Souvenir gowns provided a welcomed alternative to the collection and return of gowns after the graduation ceremony. At the time, nobody really thought of the waste souvenir gowns would create.

We did. We addressed both the demand for providing souvenir gowns while, at the same time, providing reuse programs along with encouraging the use of our wash and wear rental gowns.

When eco-serious schools and colleges incorporated sustainable solutions in their campus-wide programs, University Cap & Gown was one of the first in the industry to address this need with the introduction of our UltraGREEN outfits. While some suppliers found fabric developed from bamboo as the solution, we elected to offer caps and gowns made from recycled plastic bottles, a much more eco-friendly approach. Learn the difference between fabric made from bamboo and that made from plastic bottles by clicking here.

The Competition vs. University Cap & Gown
University Cap & Gown is a strong, well respected privately owned company. We answer to the needs and demands of our customers, not those of stockholders demanding a higher return on their investment. When schools, colleges and universities went "green" our programs were already in place and tested for success.

Our competitors are against our reuse plans because they are in the business of selling new gowns every year.

The green element has been a component of our business model for almost two decades

Understanding that each school, college and university we serve have different needs, our Green Solutions programs are customer-specific. Please contact us to learn in more detail how your institution can help conserve resources as well as save money.