Sustainable children’s clothing company Frugi has collaborated with the Cotton Lives On recycling programme to transform worn out cotton clothing into roll mats for people experiencing homelessness.
Frugi was founded in 2004 by Kurt and Lucy Jewson after they struggled to find appropriate sustainable clothes for their young children. Eighteen years later, Frugi is one of UK’s leading ethical and organic children’s clothing brands. The full range includes new-born to twelve years, along with Frugi Bloom, a stylish maternity, and breastfeeding range.
The Cotton Lives On programme aims to extend the life of cotton in a way that helps both people and planet. The programme promotes sustainable living by educating consumers on cotton’s natural lifecycle in order to divert unwanted cotton from landfill. Frugi said it “strongly supports this ambition by championing sustainability and demonstrating what it means to be truly circular.”
The Cotton Lives On programme focuses on using old cotton to be recycled and ultimately make roll mats to help homeless people get a better night’s sleep. Frugi has already contributed significantly to the production and delivery of the programme’s first tranche of mattresses, made from 3600kg of cotton.
Prolonging the life of new clothes is a major goal for Frugi’s sustainable journey, which has included rental partnerships with the the little loop, the first UK subscription for children’s clothing, and Hirestreet for Frugi Bloom maternity wear.
Sarah Clark, CEO of the Frugi Group, commented: “Our participation in the Cotton Lives On programme is another strong step for Frugi to become fully circular. Frugi believes in the power of cotton, demonstrated through our use of organic cotton, and this programme embodies the importance of keeping these valuable fibres in circulation, and in doing so, protecting the planet we play on.”
Kim Kitchings, Sr. Vice President, Cotton Incorporated, added: “The Cotton Lives On recycling programme is about extending the life of cotton clothing. Cotton is a natural, durable and sustainable fibre which can be recycled at the end of its life. The Cotton Lives On programme is for clothing that has really reached the end of its use. So much goes into landfill and what we’re trying to do is make as much use out of this natural resource as possible by turning old cotton clothes into something useful. We are thrilled to have Frugi join the Cotton Lives On programme working to reduce textile waste and close the loop on cotton sustainability as they look at opportunities with U.S. cotton.”
