Bedford business creates FIRST carbon neutral graduation gown for UK’s universities

Bedford-based Evess – which designs and supplies sustainable and technology-enhanced graduation gowns – has expanded into new premises as it prepares to supply a staggering 40,000 students this summer.

Each gown created by the company uses approximately 30 plastic bottles through its use of sustainable production techniques, making the garments almost 100 per cent sustainable.

The gowns are also certified carbon neutral by international supply chain monitoring company Shiftery, which tracks materials to their source, ensuring all elements of the gown are post-consumer plastic waste.

Amazingly, radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips have also been implanted within each of the gowns.

And sensors on the graduation stage then recognise these chips, so that any photos and videos taken as the graduate crosses the stage are automatically uploaded to the cloud within 10 seconds, meaning graduates and their families have instant access to mementos from the special day.

The business is using the funding from Lloyds Bank to expand to a larger warehouse and office space in Wixams. Continuing the firm’s commitment to sustainability, the new facility has solar panels on the roof and electric vehicle charging points.

Evess has already doubled its headcount from seven to 14 people and is looking to grow the team further as it plans to more than treble the students it clothes over the next three to five years.

Martin Lewis, managing director of Evess, said: “The idea for Evess came about on my own graduation day, when it cost more to rent the gown than a car. I realised that it’s an industry of only a handful of companies and it hasn’t evolved for over 150 years.

“It was then that I saw an opportunity to bring graduation clothing into the future.

“While still rooted in tradition, the tech and sustainable elements of our gowns reflect the modern student, who’s much more conscious about the impact they’re making on the environment.