The Salvation Army’s retail arm Salvos has just opened its Textile Recovery Facility in Brisbane today, in partnership with the Queensland government.
The facility is believed to be the first of its kind in Australia, offering an automatic textile sorting and decommissioning service, allowing Salvos Stores to unlock recyclable textile feedstock and create opportunities to turn the waste from that into tomorrow’s products.
The facility will begin to pilot and scale textile recovery solutions in Brisbane and plans to process up to 5,000 tonnes of textiles per year. According to Salvos, this enables the materials to stay in circulation and generate additional revenue to fund the frontline work of The Salvation Army across the country.
The Queensland government has invested $4.97 million in the project.
Head of Salvos Stores, Nic Baldwin, said this move is a proud moment for the charity retailer.
“It’s about taking real, practical steps to reduce textile waste and keep more out of landfill, while continuing to find new ways to generate vital funding for the life-changing programs of The Salvation Army,” Baldwin said. “Every step forward helps us create lasting impact for both people and the environment.”
In Australia, over 200,000 tonnes of clothing products end up in landfill each year. This also comes as local fashion production has dwindled to just 3 per cent of total clothes sold here, with the Australian Fashion Council, R.M.Williams and other stakeholders striving to reverse that. Most of the clothes shipped to Australia for sale come from China and across Asia.
Salvos Stores business development manager Merial Chamberlin said the charity retailer has turned second-hand goods into fundraising opportunities and community support for over 140 years.
“Each year, our community of Salvos Stores shoppers give a new home to millions of donated items, keeping them in circulation,” Chamberlain said. “Our Textile Recovery Facility is our new way to keep even more textiles in circulation and out of landfill, turning cutting-edge innovation into real solutions.”
Minister for the Environment and Tourism Andrew Powell said the Queensland government’s $4.97 million investment to deliver this new facility highlighted the Crisafulli Government’s focus on delivering a better environment for the Northeast Australian state.
“The Crisafulli Government has supported the delivery of this Australian-first facility that will turn today’s waste into tomorrow’s products,” Powell said. “This facility will reduce the amount of textile waste going to landfill, but it will also unlock new economic opportunities and support Queensland’s transition to a sustainable economy.
“We recognise the critical need for waste infrastructure in Queensland, and we are taking action to deliver it through this new nation-leading facility.”
Through the over 400 Salvos Stores across Australia, 52 million items were kept in circulation last year. Salvos noted this facility will only further this effort to alleviate the environmental impact of textiles, as well as provide a launching pad to unlock more innovation across the sector into the future.