Australian clothing recycling company SCRgroup has become the first member of Charitbale Recycling Australia’s newly launched Clothing Reuse Export Accreditation Scheme.
Charitable Recycling Australia has developed the reuse accreditation scheme for charities and companies that directly or indirectly export second hand clothing to facilitate quality assurance. Accreditation is achieved by meeting and committing to a specific set of procedures as outlined and monitored by Charitable Recycling Australia.
As a member of the Scheme, SCRgroup can verify that it can track where all donated items go and that ethical processes are in place along each step of its supply chain.
SCRgroup said it collects and diverts over 25 million kilograms of clothing from landfill every year from various charities and businesses. Much of this volume is clothing still in wearable condition, however Australian consumers are not willing to purchase these items, meaning businesses often resort to throwing stock away.
SCRgroup said these usable garments are a valuable resource when exported overseas to be reused in their original form in international communities in need; aiding poverty reduction and gender equality overseas.
It also said that fast fashion consumer preferences have resulted in the creation of excess textiles, and the lack of scalable domestic recycling or remanufacturing in Australia means that reuse exports are an important social, environmental and economic activator.
SCRgroup key executive Alexis Todorovski said on average, people buy 50 new pieces of clothing each year, with some pieces only worn 10 times.
“Research has shown that clothing usually lasts between 100-200 wears, however, only a small amount of clothing gets that amount of use,” Todorovski said.
“Australians send over 800 million kilograms of unwanted clothing to landfill every year, and what’s most concerning is that a lot of that consists of synthetic man-made fibres that are difficult to breakdown.”
Todorovski called on consumers to reuse, reduce or recirculate throughout their wardrobe.
“Research conducted by the European Recycling Industries Confederation has shown that the environmental impact of reusing textiles is 70 times lower than producing new clothing,” Todorovski said. “The study highlighted that 3kg of carbon emissions are saved for each piece of clothing that is reused, even when accounting for transport emissions produced by global exports of clothing reuse.”
SCRgroup said it is committed to supporting the circular economy through its 1500 collection hubs around the country.