Fast fashion, slow scrubs: creating sustainable and dignified NHS garments

Scrubs are a fundamental component of healthcare attire, particularly within NHS Scotland, where over 250,000 employees rely on these garments daily. Despite their ubiquity, scrubs have undergone little innovation in recent decades, leading to growing concerns regarding durability, user-experience, sustainability, and ethical production. This chapter situates NHS scrubs within the broader discourse on fast fashion, a system characterised by rapid production cycles, inexpensive materials, and excessive textile waste. The parallels between healthcare textiles and mainstream fashion trends underscore the environmental and ethical challenges linked to mass garment procurement. Recent scholarship highlights the urgent need for sustainable solutions in medical textiles, advocating for approaches that minimize waste and promote ethical sourcing. Through a design-led research methodology, this study critically analyses NHS scrub production, exploring its historical, conceptual, and material contexts. By co-designing plant-based scrubs, the project presents a viable path toward more sustainable and dignified healthcare workwear. The findings reinforce the necessity of reforming healthcare textile supply chains to align with global sustainability objectives, improving user experience, workplace dignity, and environmental responsibility.