LOS ANGELES, June 27, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Barco Uniforms, a recognized leader of design innovation in the premium healthcare apparel industry, today announced that it has prevented 16.8 million plastic bottles from polluting the environment since incorporating plastic bottles into the cutting-edge fabric of the Barco One and Skechers by Barco scrub collections in 2016 and 2018, respectively.

Each Barco One garment incorporates 5 recycled plastic bottles in its fabric and the brand has recycled 7.5 million bottles, while each Skechers garment is made from 7 recycled plastic bottles, resulting in 9.3 million recycled bottles to date. In addition to the sustainability factor, each scrub collection features moisture-wicking fabric with 4-way stretch that is designed to easily release soil.

“We are only starting to understand the devastating consequences of our global dependence on plastic and the pollution epidemic,” said David Murphy, president and CEO of Barco Uniforms. “Barco is proud to have taken concrete steps to keep plastic bottles out of landfills and the waste stream. Barco One and Skechers collections are the first lines of medical scrubs to incorporate a sustainable element into their fabric, and we are eager to see an increase in the number of bottles that we incorporate into our fabric technology in the years to come.”

To create the sustainable fabric, Barco relies on a RPET process. First, the bottles are cleaned and then shredded into pellets. From there, the pellets are crushed and melted, and the melted plastic is spun into thread which is woven with polyester.

“The last year has been marked by stories of marine animals washing up on shore with hundreds of tons of plastic pollution in their stomachs,” said Peggy Schulz, Vice President of Corporate Marketing of Barco Uniforms. “We’ve incorporated plastic bottles into our fabric with the hope of contributing to a cleaner world and a safer environment for marine life. Barco One’s fabric technology not only helps marine life, it’s also inspired by veterinarians due to its Quick-shed™ property, so it’s truly a win-win for our environment and the animal kingdom alike.”

Barco One has gained popularity among veterinarians and pet groomers due to the fabrics’ antistatic properties, allowing animal hair to release quickly from the surface of the fabric. Barco’s Skechers line is designed for the modern, value-conscious healthcare professional who appreciates quality and style associated with highly respected brands. In addition to recycled bottles, the fabric in both Barco One and Skechers features 4-way spandex-stretch for comfort and modern design styling that is flattering on all body types.

About Barco Uniforms

Founded in 1929, Barcoâ Uniforms is a leader of design innovation in the premium professional apparel industry, designing award-winning premium uniforms that elevate and honor the individual in the healthcare, food service and hospitality industries. Barco Uniforms is headquartered in Los Angeles with approximately 250+ local employees across multiple disciplines including design, product development, marketing, sales, supply chain, and distribution. For more information, visit www.barcouniforms.com or https://www.linkedin.com/company/barco-uniforms-inc. You can follow the company at www.instagram.com/barco.uniforms/, www.facebook.com/barcouniforms/, https://twitter.com/BarcoUniforms and www.pinterest.com/barcouniforms/.

Keeping Hope Alive.

In 2008, Barco’s Nightingales Foundation (BNF) was founded by Barco’s Chairman of the Board, Michael Donner and his wife Frida in hopes of lifting-up the lives of children around the world, in honor of Healthcare Professionals.  http://www.barcosnightingales.org/

For more information on Barco Uniforms or Barco’s Nightingales Foundation visit: www.barcouniforms.com. You can follow the company at www.instagram.com/barco.uniforms/,www.facebook.com/barcouniforms/, https://twitter.com/BarcoUniforms and www.pinterest.com/barcouniforms/.

About Skechers

SKECHERS USA, Inc., based in Manhattan Beach, California, designs, develops and markets a diverse range of lifestyle footwear for men, women and children, as well as performance footwear for men and women. SKECHERS footwear is available in the United States and over 160 countries and territories worldwide via department and specialty stores, 2,438 SKECHERS Company-owned and third-party-owned retail stores, and the Company’s e-commerce websites. The Company manages its international business through a network of global distributors, joint venture partners in Asia and the Middle East, and wholly-owned subsidiaries in Canada, Japan, throughout Europe and Latin America. For more information, please visit skechers.com

Jennifer Clay, SKECHERS USA, Inc.

310.937.1326 / jennc@skechers.com

Barco Uniforms, Skechers by Barco are trademarks of Barco Uniforms. All other terms are trademarks of their respected owners.

This announcement contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, Skechers’ future domestic and international growth, financial results and operations including expected net sales and earnings, its development of new products, future demand for its products, its planned domestic and international expansion, opening of new stores and additional expenditures, and advertising and marketing initiatives. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking language such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “project,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will result,” “could,” “may,” “might,” or any variations of such words with similar meanings. Any such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include international economic, political and market conditions including the uncertainty of sustained recovery in Europe; sustaining, managing and forecasting costs and proper inventory levels; losing any significant customers; decreased demand by industry retailers and cancellation of order commitments due to the lack of popularity of particular designs and/or categories of products; maintaining brand image and intense competition among sellers of footwear for consumers, especially in the highly competitive performance footwear market; anticipating, identifying, interpreting or forecasting changes in fashion trends, consumer demand for the products and the various market factors described above; sales levels during the spring, back-to-school and holiday selling seasons; and other factors referenced or incorporated by reference in Skechers’ annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 and its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended September 30, 2017. The risks included here are not exhaustive. Skechers operates in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time and the companies cannot predict all such risk factors, nor can the companies assess the impact of all such risk factors on their respective businesses or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. Moreover, reported results should not be considered an indication of future performance.

About Barco Uniforms

Founded in 1929, Barco Uniforms is a leader of design innovation in the premium professional apparel industry, designing award-winning premium uniforms that elevate and honor the individual in the healthcare, enterprise and food service industries. Barco Uniforms is headquartered in Los Angeles with approximately 225+ local employees across multiple disciplines including design, product development, marketing, sales, supply chain, and distribution. For more information, please visit: https://www.barcomade.com

Keeping Hope Alive

In 2008, Barco's Nightingales Foundation (BNF) was founded by Barco's Chairman of the Board, Michael Donner, and his wife, Frida, in hopes of lifting-up the lives of children around the world, in honor of Healthcare Professionals. For more information about how you can support the foundation, please visit: http://www.barcosnightingales.org/