Parents at a private college on the South Shore are concerned about the environmental repercussions of changing their school’s uniform supplier. The management of the establishment has announced that, within two years, the old uniform will no longer be permitted. The college maintains that the transition offered is a respectable compromise.
What there is to know
- Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes college, on the South Shore of Montreal, is changing its uniforms.
- The parents would have liked the two uniforms – the old and the new – to be able to coexist. They are worried about the environmental impact the change will have.
- The school maintains the change was necessary and a respectable compromise.
“My first reaction was to do the math: I have one left in college and I’m going to have to dress him completely in something new for his last year of secondary school,” emphasizes Marianne Dodelet. The mother of two boys calls the school’s decision “horrible” for the environment.
Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes college in Saint-Lambert will change suppliers this year. Within two years, current uniforms will be banned. The decision was announced to parents in a press release in March, causing concern among some.
Geneviève d’Amours claims to have experienced a “shock” when she heard the news. The mother of three boys, all of whom have gone to college, would have liked a better compromise, such as keeping pants and skirts minimal. Her youngest son will begin his senior year of college next year.
Expected losses at the school bazaar
Max Dubois is the father of two daughters who are studying at college. He also believes that the old uniforms should be able to stay. Every year, the father buys school clothes for his two daughters at the school bazaar, which sells used uniforms at a lower cost. “It’s more ecological and it’s more part of a circular economy philosophy. It’s important to instill that in our children,” he believes.
The used clothing bazaar which has taken place every year since 2015 will be maintained, but old clothes will no longer be sold starting in 2026.
Geneviève d’Amours is worried about the financial losses that the bazaar could suffer, whose profits of approximately $10,000 are given to student activities. The turnover continued to increase each year… before the announcement of the change of uniforms.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Max Dubois, father of two daughters attending college, and Dominique Lebeau, father of two former students
“The bazaar will be able to be held again this year, but if the old stock is no longer recovered, it will take a few years to replenish the number of old uniforms”, estimates Mme d’Amours, who has volunteered at the event for years.
The new supplier, the company Raphaël U, will offer pieces of uniform with slight imperfections to the bazaar according to needs so “that the thrift store can continue,” assures the co-founder and director of the organization, Tammy Hattem. The general director of Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes college, Guillaume Olivier Choquette, remains optimistic about the bazaar. He believes there will be a “certain quantity of uniforms available.”
Several outstanding questions
Tammy Hattem points out that the two-year period was implemented based on a “normal” uniform life cycle, due to the growth spurt of young people who need to restock on uniforms and natural wear and tear materials. However, at school, students still wear the old pink and white uniform removed from stores in 1996.
Mr. Choquette believes that changing uniforms should be done “on its own”. The general director believes that “you have to experience” the change of uniforms to see if the school’s bet is the right one.
Parents, however, criticize a lack of consistency on the part of the school.
The college has been doing business with lab22 for two years [un laboratoire d’innovations sociales et environnementales] and teaches several eco-responsible values to its students. I would have expected these values to be reflected in its internal decisions.
Marianne Dodelet, mother of two boys attending Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes college
For Raphaël U and the college, the cohabitation of the two collections is important to minimize environmental impacts. Ultimately, however, the supplier must know how many garments to produce, which is more difficult when two collections overlap.
Many parents are worried about what will happen to the old uniforms. Raphaël U will take care of collecting them and shipping them to disadvantaged countries through World Vision, the organization with which the supplier does business. Photos are sent to show the clothing is worn.
“Who are these communities? Where are they in the world, and how will they upgrade uniforms with NDL logos? », asks Dominique Lebeau, father of two students who studied at college.
In its press release in June, management states that it is considering “one-off relaxations if necessary”, if several old uniforms are still worn by students in two years.
“I am sure that the administration [du collège] will do the best for the interests of the students and will allow them to wear old models of clothes and uniforms,” says Max Dubois.