Walmart Foundation Grants $1.2mn To Boost Circular Textiles
The Walmart Foundation has granted US $1.2 million to support Goodwill Industries International and Accelerating Circularity to transform unsellable textile donations into recycling feedstock.
The partnership with Goodwill is intended to develop skills, systems, and infrastructure at local Goodwill organisations to transform unsellable textile donations into recycling feedstock.
Goodwill organisations will use the funding to learn to produce post-consumer textile feedstock that meets recyclers’ specifications and to educate and train staff on sorting and feedstock preparation.
25 local Goodwill organisations are involved in this project, with leadership from Goodwill Industries spread across various US locations.
The local Goodwill organisations are modeling and testing regional textile collaboration hubs in partnership that can be replicated across the Goodwill member network.
It is expected that this will be adopted by other social enterprises for the benefit of their constituents and the advancement of textile circularity.
“This initiative with Goodwill Industries is an example of Accelerating Circularity’s unique role in creating new connections to mainstream the adoption of post-consumer textiles as raw materials,” said Sarah Coulter, Director of Operations and Special Projects for Accelerating Circularity.
“Goodwill is focused on developing solutions for textiles that are scalable, circular, and traceable, and we see textile-to-textile recycling as a key pathway for donations that are unwearable and at their end of life,” Brittany Dickinson, Director of Sustainability at Goodwill Industries International also said.
“Establishing regional Goodwill collaborations for textile circularity supports Goodwill’s role as a critical player in the circular economy and aligns with our organizational sustainability strategy,” she shared.
