One+All: Introduction
School uniforms are one of those purchases most families make on autopilot. The colour has to be right, the fit has to work, and the price has to feel fair, but those basics tell you very little about the business behind the garment.
One+All has been making schoolwear since 1935, and there is a lot going on behind the label that most buyers will never see at first glance. Look a little closer, and the reasons to choose them start to stack up.
Schoolwear Has to Work First
Any wider purpose means very little if the uniform itself is poor. Schoolwear has to survive classrooms, playgrounds, repeated washing and children growing at inconvenient speed, so quality, comfort, fit and value have to come first.
One+All supplies knitwear, polos, sweatshirts, hoodies, blazers, jackets, ties, coats and bags, with personalisation options including embroidery, printing and made-to-order garments. Selected ranges use recycled materials, including Blazers, Jackets and Ties, giving buyers practical product choice before they look at anything else sitting behind the brand.
A Business Owned by Its People
One+All began moving into employee ownership in 2015 and became 100% employee-owned in 2020. Every colleague has a stake in the company, so the people helping create its success share directly in what they build.
That ownership model sits alongside Real Living Wage accreditation, an 8% non-contributory pension, profit sharing, healthcare support, flexible working and colleague-led training. For buyers, this gives the purchase another dimension: the money spent on a garment supports a business where colleagues have a direct interest in long-term success and fair treatment.
Find Out MoreFrom 107 to 136: A B Corp That Kept Improving
One+All became a Certified B Corp in August 2020 with a score of 107. That already placed the business comfortably above the 80-point certification threshold, but the more interesting part is what happened next.
At recertification in 2024, One+All increased its score to 136. That rise matters more than the badge itself, as it shows four years of further work across areas such as workers, governance, community, customers and environmental performance. The company did not reach certification and treat the job as finished; it came back with a materially stronger result.
For a school, retailer or parent trying to judge the claims behind a brand, that progression gives useful independent evidence. It shows that One+All has been measured, challenged and then improved against the same independently verified framework.
Publishing the Proof
One+All backs that progress by publishing an annual online Impact Report covering its social and environmental activity. The report tracks work across colleagues, communities, supply chain workers, raw materials and environmental action, giving customers and partners something they can read for themselves.
Its first Impact Report was published after B Corp certification and set out achievements, future goals and areas where the business still had work to do. It included practical examples such as a 28% reduction in overall carbon emissions across four years, water filter systems for overseas workers, support for colleagues during the cost-of-living crisis and a Worker Participation Committee at a supplier factory in Bangladesh. That level of detail makes the report useful rather than decorative.
The report has become part of how One+All holds itself accountable. Its 2022 Impact Report later won Planet Mark’s 2023 Sustainability Reporting Award, recognising the way the business communicated its progress and tackled difficult issues across an international workforce. For buyers, this means the claims behind the brand come with published evidence rather than a collection of vague promises.
The Story Behind The Garment
A school jumper can travel through a long supply chain before it reaches a child, so knowing who made it and under what conditions forms part of responsible buying. One+All maps its overseas suppliers and publishes information about factories, audits and the standards it expects across its supply chain.
Its work covers labour rights, modern slavery, child labour, worker representation, fair treatment and welfare. It is a full member of the Ethical Trading Initiative and works with suppliers on the ETI Base Code, giving schools, retailers and parents information they can check rather than claims they simply have to accept.
The company has kept pushing on materials too. One+All reports that 73% of its total cotton was sourced as Better Cotton in 2025, passing an earlier milestone and showing that its sourcing work continues to move forward.
Care, Cost and Useful Life
Donald Moore recently told us that One+All estimates around 90% of the emissions linked to its garments come from consumer use. That puts a large part of the lifetime impact in the hands of families after the uniform gets home.
Washing at 30 degrees where the care label permits it, avoiding unnecessary washes, line drying where practical and following care instructions can reduce energy use and help clothing last. These habits can support household budgets too, especially across several years of schoolwear.
Reuse matters at the other end of the garment’s life. One+All highlights research suggesting 1.4 million wearable school uniform garments are thrown away each year, and it provides free collection units to customers to support preloved uniform schemes through charity partners including Barnardo’s, Cancer Research UK, Sue Ryder and The Salvation Army. A garment that can serve another child has more value than one treated as waste once it no longer fits its first owner.
Part of the Play It Green Community
One+All has worked with Play It Green for many years, connecting its own sustainability activity with nature repair, social impact and colleague engagement. That relationship works well for one simple reason: One+All is already doing the work inside its own business.
Play It Green adds nature repair, social impact and ongoing education to a much broader programme of action that One+All measures and publishes. That combination is exactly what gives the partnership credibility.
One+All: Wrap-Up
One+All describes its purpose as growing for the greater good, and its record gives buyers plenty of evidence to judge that statement for themselves. The stronger B Corp score, employee ownership, published Impact Reports, supply-chain work, sourcing progress, reuse schemes and product quality all point in the same direction.
For anyone choosing schoolwear, this creates a much stronger buying case than colour, size and price alone. You get a garment built for everyday school life, backed by a company that keeps measuring, publishing and improving what sits behind it.
Quote
Play It Green Founder, Richard Dickson
“I’ve known Donald and One+All for years, and what has always impressed me is that they keep moving forward. Going from a B Corp score of 107 to 136, publishing their impact openly, investing in their people and supply chain, and continuing to improve gives buyers real evidence behind the brand. They make really good schoolwear, and there is a very good business behind it too. ”
Create Commercial Value with Play It Green
Play It Green helps businesses make sustainability practical, measurable and commercially sensible.
Our members learn through simple weekly education like this article on One+All, reduce the business footprint with support and expert signposting, repair nature across land, coast and sea, and create social impact through our 10% revenue giveback to good causes.
That gives your business credible action you can share with employees, customers and other stakeholders, backed by transparent reporting and measurable impact.
If you want to cut costs, reduce risk, attract great people and build stronger customer loyalty through sustainability, including measurement and reduction, nature repair and social impact, speak to Play It Green.
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