Goodwill® and Reju™ Announce Plans to Help Advance Textile Recycling in North America in Collaboration with WM®

The collaboration is intended to help divert textiles from landfills and create a pathway for a circular textile ecosystem

PARIS, Oct. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Goodwill^® and Reju™ announced that, in collaboration with WM, they have aligned on initial plans to pursue a multi-year initiative designed to help advance textile recycling in North America. They plan to develop a collaborative model for regional textile collection, sortation, reuse and recycling that is intended to divert more nonwearable textile materials from the waste stream.

Currently, a small percentage of textiles is recycled. According to Textile Exchange's annual Materials Market Report, globally, of the 124 million tonnes of textiles produced in 2023, less than 1% of the total fiber market consisted of recycled textiles. This planned collaboration seeks to create a system that captures a greater percentage of discarded textiles for resale or regeneration, helping textiles go to their next best use.

Goodwill, the largest workforce development network and secondhand retailer in North America comprised of 154 local nonprofits across the U.S and Canada, and WM, North America's leading provider of comprehensive environmental solutions, plan to work together on pilots to collect, sort and grade discarded textiles for resale. A portion of the remaining textiles, not suitable for resale, are expected to be provided to Reju, the progressive textile-to-textile regeneration company, with a supply of feedstock to potentially be recycled and regenerated into new materials when Reju builds a U.S.-based facility. The program is intended to contribute to creating a circular textile-to-textile ecosystem.

"With our 120-year legacy as a leader in circularity, Goodwill is positioning our local nonprofit enterprises at the forefront of creating systems for textile recycling and recovery. Goodwill is looking to become a preferred partner of brands, retailers, technology companies, equipment providers, and government and non-governmental organizations," said Steve Preston, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International (GII).

The planned project builds on the research conducted by Goodwill funded by the Walmart Foundation to assess fiber composition of unsold textiles and develop the skills and systems to transform unwearable textiles into recycling feedstock.

Owned by Technip Energies and relying on technology originating with IBM research, Reju is developing the infrastructure to take certain textile waste and regenerate it at scale, starting with polyester. The end product – Reju Polyester – is expected to have a 50% lower carbon footprint than virgin polyester and can be regenerated infinitely. In September, Reju opened its first demonstration plant – Regeneration Hub Zero – in Frankfurt, Germany, which is expected to begin producing Reju PET in 2025.

"To tackle the challenges posed by discarded textiles, we need radical collaboration and cooperation, and through our potential project with Goodwill and WM, we are building the ecosystem to achieve textile circularity," said Patrik Frisk, CEO of Reju. "Reuse is, and will continue to be, the highest value and is essential to the circular economic model for the benefit of all. Yet, among the products that are not reused, less than 1% are recycled globally today. A textile-to-textile circular ecosystem can only be optimized when more textiles are diverted from the waste stream and into the recovery cycle. Goodwill and WM are looking to play a critical role in recovery through the collection and sorting of textiles in North America."

Reju anticipates building a U.S.-based regeneration hub to serve the American market, with certain material collected through Goodwill and WM that are not viable for resale, is expected to feed into the U.S. hub.

Local Goodwill leaders from across North America have been working with Goodwill Industries International's sustainability team to develop the potential project. The Goodwill steering committee is comprised of leaders from Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County (Wilmington), Goodwill of the Finger Lakes (Rochester, NY), Goodwill Industries of West Michigan (Muskegon), Goodwill of Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia (Maple Shade, NJ), Goodwill Industries of South Florida (Miami), Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona (Phoenix), Goodwill Industries Ontario Great Lakes (East London), Goodwill Renaissance Quebec, (Montreal), and Goodwill of Tenneva Area, Inc., (Kingsport, TN).

"Reuse remains the highest form of sustainability and circularity, and Goodwill prides itself on being the best steward of donated goods," said Colleen Morrone, president and CEO of Goodwill of Delaware & Delaware County and chair of the Goodwill Sustainability Committee. "Now we are on an innovation journey to develop new ways to find the highest use for all of the items entrusted to our care."

"With our more than 3,300 stores and donation centers within 10 miles of 83% of the U.S. population, Goodwill has the infrastructure and the public trust to serve as a collection point for textiles. As the extended producer responsibility (EPR) movement gains force, we are inviting brands to work with us to create new solutions for managing product," said Jennifer Lake, president and CEO of Goodwill of the Finger Lakes and chair of the Goodwill Circularity Subcommittee.

The Goodwill network plays a critical role in powering the circular economy. In 2023, Goodwill recovered the value of over 4.3 billion pounds of donated products, which supported the development of skills training, job placement, career advancement opportunities and other community-based services for more than 1.7 million people.

These initiatives are expected to continue to create jobs and additional revenue to fund Goodwill's vital workforce programs and services. Revenue from the sale of donated goods stays in local communities to support job training, job placement and other essential services for community members who face obstacles to employment. Goodwill plans to recover the value in nonwearable textiles to continue support for its workforce development programs.

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