Textile Exchange is working with some industry heavyweights on a new initiative to move textiles from linear to circular by mapping and identifying the required links from waste textiles to chemical and mechanical recycling. The project, Accelerating Circularity, involves founding partners Gap Inc., Target, Lenzing, Giotex, Gr3n, VF Corp., Unifi, Revolve Waste and Fabrikology International Inc. Karla Magruder, who is the founder of Fabrikology, a textile consulting company based in the New York area, is heading up the initiative. Board members include Magruder, along with Tricia Carey of Lenzing, Eileen Mockus of Coyuchi, Alice Hartley of Gap, Beth Jensen of VF and Laila Petrie of 2050.
Magruder said: “If we’re going to have circularity, textile waste will be the new raw material. We’re going to have to find out how to get from point A to point B. Less than 1 percent of textile waste gets recycled into new textiles. It’s nothing.”
According to a report, the group’s first project will include research into mechanical and chemical recycling of cotton, viscose and polyester textile waste, with its first report coming in late April on the acceleratingcircularity.org website.
The project received a grant from the Walmart Foundation to help with its launch. Other organizations participating include the American Apparel & Footwear Association, Apparel Impact Institute, Circle Economy, Outdoor Industry Association, The Renewal Workshop and United States Fashion Industry Association.
