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Through the purchase of shredding equipment and rental of a small operational space, Cinch will turn textile waste into an opportunity and reduce the use of new materials. We will give consumers and businesses an avenue to ethically and sustainably recycle garments, and provide local crafters and community groups a new source of fiberfill for toys and furnishings.
Why Textiles?
Australians are estimated to be purchasing 27kg of new textiles every year and discarding 23kg - that is based on just individual purchases and not industry consumption. Overall, we import 1,000,000 tonnes which average of 40kg per person. A whopping 60,000 tonnes of textiles are sent to landfills annually, by charities alone - not even counting the amount that ends up in the landfill of developing countries through offshoring. A conservative estimate is that South Australia send 40,000 tonnes of textiles to landfill each year, but this is impossible to accurately measure.
Donating resaleable clothing to op-shops, redistributing wearable garments to charitable organisations, or turning certain fabrics that are no longer fit for purpose into rags are all options, but unfortunately, a large percentage of clothing in these streams still ends up shipped offshore or sent to landfill. We need more local options!
The Project
The purpose of this project is to set up a textile MicroRecycling Facility in Adelaide, South Australia to reduce the carbon footprint of textile recycling, support the local economy, and ensure sustainable handling of textiles. This facility will house an industrial textile shredder which will convert unsalvageable garments into fiberfill that can then be utilised by small businesses and other consumers to fill sewn items. Unlike traditional recycling which shreds the entire garment, we will process the incoming textiles individually and get the most out of each item. Using the example of a business shirt, there is often viable fabric across the front and back which would be harvested for direct reuse. Buttons would be recovered for sorting and resale, and only the areas of the shirt that are stained, damaged or have no (current) reuse path will be shredded.
Which shredder?
Post-consumer textiles are notoriously difficult to process due to the type, variety, and thickness of materials used, with machines easily jammed or bound by threads. Future plans include developing a new type of shredder (watch this space!), but for now, the focus is on proving the market and use for shredded textiles, using an inexpensive general-purpose shredder. A double-shaft shredder with a 4KW motor has been identified as appropriate for the first iteration of the MicroRecycling facility, with the awareness that upgrades and maintenance will be required. Fortunately, the circular economy movement is growing, and the long-term plan will be to modify or repurpose the shredder, with assistance from Makerspace Adelaide volunteers.
Business Model
Whilst traditional recycling relies on scale and bulk processing for economic viability, by focusing on reclaiming as much value from each individual garment, Cinch Textiles will create "a recycling and manufacturing system that can innovate to reform waste for more diverse and value-added end uses" (Prof Veena Sahajwalla, UNSW). By offering the service directly to businesses and consumers for a fee, processing costs will be offset, and attention can be placed on finding uses for the discarded fabric in small batch quantities. An example is that hand sorting will enable cotton garments to be sorted out, and the resulting shredded material is tested for uses such as papermaking, dissolving pulp and even agriculture. The true value, of course, is in the push to reduce textiles that end in landfill.
What is Cinch?
Cinch started out two years ago as Laura Gransbury running textile sustainability workshops to increase awareness and reduce consumer-based textile waste. Supported by Ava Sheard in 2022, we focused on the application of circular design and economic principles in industry, preventing waste through reduced consumption, reuse of existing material, and upcycling of textiles beyond their intended use. The connections forged through community events and engagement have now expanded our reach, with businesses seeking consultation to improve their uniform sustainability lifecycle, from procurement to destruction. Due to requests for recycling support, the micro recycling facility has become a natural progression and extension of Cinch textiles.
Rewards
Please check out the great range of rewards you can earn by supporting this project, including handmade goodies, pre-purchasing recycling and even having a go at recycling your own garments! Physical rewards will be available for collection when available from various Adelaide locations, but if you would like something posted please contact us at the conclusion of the campaign to calculate shipping. All contributors will be kept in the loop about our progress, as we work towards Cinching Adelaide's Textile Waste!
