Your old T-shirts and jeans might soon get a glamorous second life, as plastic recycler Pact Group and clean technology company BlockTexx joined forces on Friday to tackle Australia’s growing mountain of discarded clothing.
The companies signed a memorandum of understanding to explore an end-to-end rescue mission for unloved polyester and cotton-blend garments. Instead of fashion victims ending up in landfill, they could be transformed into raw materials for new clothes, packaging products or other sustainable applications.
Pact already has a foot in the fashion door through its Retail Accessories division, which gives plastic hangers multiple encores in retail stores. Meanwhile, BlockTexx has perfected the art of chemically breaking down stubborn polyester and cotton blends at its Loganholme facility near Brisbane.
“Pact’s existing presence in the global fashion supply chain through our Retail Accessories business enables us to expand our expertise across the garment supply chain beyond just hangers,” said Pact CEO Sanjay Dayal.
“This initiative with BlockTexx demonstrates our commitment to leading the circular economy through partnerships and collaboration.”
BlockTexx co-founder Adrian Jones said the project combines strengths from both companies: “This project aims to accelerate the fashion industry’s shift towards more sustainable products by combining Pact’s capabilities in sustainable retail supply chains with BlockTexx’s textile recycling innovations.”
The scale of the challenge is no small accessory – according to Australia’s clothing stewardship scheme Seamless, Australians buy approximately 1.4 billion new clothing items annually, with more than half (200,000 tonnes) ultimately walking the runway to landfill.
The companies aim to complete their feasibility catwalk by the end of the year.
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