The study found that approximately 60% of analysed materials were suitable for existing recycling technologies, including cotton, polyester, and cotton/poly blends. Credit: Shutterstock.

At the two-day Sustainability Summit, held between 15-16 August Goodwill explained how its $1.28m circularity initiative, funded by the Walmart Foundation, aimed to develop skills, systems, and infrastructure for aggregating, sorting, and preparing textiles for reuse and recycling across the Goodwill network.

The pilot project launched in the summer of 2022 in partnership with Accelerating Circularity and involved creating four regional textile hubs in Canada, Michigan, the Northeast, and the Southeast.

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These hubs, representing 25 local Goodwill organisations, sorted and graded post-retail textiles to identify reusable materials and create feedstock meeting recyclers’ specifications.

The circularity pilot found that approximately 60% of analysed materials were suitable for existing recycling technologies, including cotton, polyester, and cotton/poly blends.

At the summit, GII also announced plans for a $2m traceability study, also funded by the Walmart Foundation. This multi-stakeholder initiative will track the global journey of second-hand textiles, informing reuse and recycling strategies and helping shape industry standards for traceability and product lifecycle stewardship.

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“We are working with a variety of partners to determine how Goodwill can best lead in the textile-to-textile recycling market and develop a number of pathways for goods to minimise waste and maximise value through reuse, remanufacturing and recycling,” said Steve Preston, GII president and CEO.

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He added: “Eventually, Goodwill hopes to become a preferred partner of brands, retailers, technology companies, equipment providers, and government and non-governmental organisations.”

Revenue from the sale of donated goods supports job training, job placement and other essential services for community members who face obstacles to employment. The organisation is working on initiatives at the local, regional and international levels to develop additional revenue sources to fund the nonprofit’s vital workforce programmes and services.

In 2023, Goodwill recovered the value of over 4.3bn pounds of donated products, supporting skills training and job placement for more than 1.7m people.

In May, 60 Goodwill leaders, along with partners from the textile recycling industry and researchers from the Rochester Institute of Technology gathered for a two-day event to advance circularity and extend the life of donated goods.