Source Fashion, a new European sourcing show with an emphasis on sustainability, has partnered with the Salvation Army Trading Company to showcase its Fibresort textile recycling technology at its February show this year.
Fibresort is the first technology of its kind in the UK – designed to automatically identify and sort second-hand textiles by fibre type. The technology makes sure that garments are separated by fibre type for recycling.
The Salvation Army’s technology is the first system in the UK to sort post-consumer garments which can no longer be worn.
“We are thrilled to be working with Hyve Group on Source Fashion,” said Charlene Bent of the Salvation Army Trading Company. “It provides another opportunity for businesses to learn more about our sustainable solutions, to reduce waste, reuse and recycle pre-loved items and help to raise vital funds for charity work.
“We are part of a society that overconsumes in many areas. Our role in minimising the environmental impacts of textiles is to divert as much as possible away from disposal and lessen the burden of over production.
“Reusing clothing is a crucial way to divert significant volumes – each year we prevent around 62,000 tonnes of clothing and home textiles from being disposed of. The more second-hand clothing we can process through our existing channels and through recycling systems such as Fibersort, the more potential we have to reclaim and work with our retail partners to resupply more recycled materials into established supply chains.”
Suzanne Ellingham, director of sourcing, Source Fashion, added: “Partnerships and collaborations like this one with SATCoL are the future of sourcing and circularity and demonstrate the ethos behind launching Source Fashion.
“Responsible sourcing is at the heart of what we do, but we are always aware of the circularity of Fashion. Collaborating with SATCoL represents an opportunity for us to link our community with a fantastic opportunity to solve the challenge of what happens to a garment at the end of its life and represents a real opportunity to reduce the environmental impact of textiles.
“As Source Fashion evolves, we will look to highlight more of these fantastic initiatives and sustainable solutions that make a real difference.”
Source Fashion is on a mission to reflect a new vision for sustainable and ethical material sourcing and will work to unite accredited and audited manufacturers from key sourcing regions around the world with retailers, brands, and designers looking to responsibly and sustainably source new products.
