by HIGH POINT — The Sustainable Furnishings Council has continued to partner with the International Textile Alliance to recycle fabrics during this week’s Interwoven textile show.
The SFC said that it began partnering with ITA on this initiative in November 2022 to set up boxes for recycling at the event. This week’s edition runs today through Wednesday in downtown High Point.
Textile manufacturers at the show can put any discontinued fabrics in the bins, which will be collected by Material Return. At the close of the show, Material Return will take the materials to its facility in Morganton, North Carolina, where it processes the fabric down to what is known as the “fiber level.”
From this material, it can produce yarn, thread, new fabrics and other products such as apparel. So far, this particular sustainability initiative from Interwoven has collected 846 pounds of textiles that have been recycled into new products.
“We are thrilled to sponsor the Textile Recycling Program,” the SFC said on its website, noting that the partnership allows Interwoven exhibitors a chance to recycle their textile samples instead of throwing them away. “This is a win for the show and for these suppliers who’ve long worried about this massive waste stream into the landfill.”
In addition to the SFC, Material Return’s major industry clients include Bassett, Stressless and Valdese Weavers, to name a few.
