Goodwill launches secondhand textile traceability study

Dive Brief:

• Goodwill is launching a $2 million traceability study focused on secondhand textiles, which aims to “inform reuse and recycling strategies and help shape industry standards for traceability and product lifecycle stewardship,” according to a Friday press release sent to Fashion Dive.
• The study, funded by the Walmart Foundation, follows a two-year pilot program designed to develop infrastructure that aggregates, sorts and prepares textiles for reuse and recycling across the Goodwill network, per the release.
• Through these projects, Goodwill wants to lead the textile-to-textile recycling market and develop ways to reuse, remanufacture and recycle products, Goodwill Industries president and CEO Steve Preston said in the release.

Dive Insight:

Goodwill plays a critical role in supporting the circular economy, the nonprofit said in the release. It operates more than 3,300 stores in the U.S. and Canada and last year, it recovered 4.3 billion pounds of donated products, it said.

“Eventually, Goodwill hopes to become a preferred partner of brands, retailers, technology companies, equipment providers, and government and non-governmental organizations,” Preston said.

The nonprofit said the new study and the pilot program align with its goal of increasing waste diversion, maximizing the value of donations and improving transparency.

The previous project was launched in summer 2022 by Goodwill and nonprofit Accelerating Circularity. That research analyzed the fiber composition of items at the end of their reusable lifespan for use as high-value recycling feedstock, per the release. According to the results, about 60% of the studied material was found to be recyclable through existing recycling tech, including cotton, polyester and cotton polyester blends.

For the 2022 project, Goodwill and Accelerating Circularity created four regional textile hubs, representing 25 Goodwill organizations, which sorted and graded textiles to find reusable materials for resale. Goodwill said these methods could be replicated across its stores.

“The size and scale of the Goodwill network place it in a unique position to help pioneer solutions to the overproduction of textiles,” Karla Magruder, president and founder of Accelerating Circularity, said in the release.