What happens to your uniforms or merch once it's worn out and no longer fit for purpose? Globally, 85% of all textiles end up in landfills annually, equating to a staggering 21 billion tonnes of clothing yearly.

As a part of the clothing industry, we need feasible options for recycling the garments we decorate for our customers. We're excited to partner with Upparel to offer our customers the opportunity to upcycle their used uniforms and merch.

Upparel presents a sustainable alternative by breathing new life into old textiles in an industry notorious for its environmental footprint. Their upcycling process repurposes discarded textiles and demonstrates a viable route toward a circular economy. Find out about Upparel's upcycling journey, showcasing how your old clothes are transformed into new treasures.

Upparel works with various brands and businesses across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, to provide on-site collection bins - we'd offer this solution to our customers too.

Upparel facilitates the collection, sorting, and recycling, ensuring nothing goes to landfill.

Each month, bins are collected and swapped with a replacement.

60% of the items Upparel receives are in fit-to-wear condition. These items are hand-sorted into garment categories and donated to charities, social enterprises and not-for-profits based in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia.

For the remaining 40% of items deemed not fit-for-wear, upcycling begins by breaking the textiles into fibres and spinning them into yarn. This forms the foundation for creating new, innovative products. The fibres are compressed to make Upparel's revolutionary circular product, UPtex. This recycled and recyclable material can be used for packaging, signage, homewares and more.

Upparel's initiative tackles the grim realities of textile waste head-on. Here's how:

• Waste reduction:

Upparel's upcycling process significantly reduces the volume of textile waste. In Australia alone, 6,000 kg of textile waste is generated every 10 minutes. By diverting textiles from landfills, Upparel is addressing this issue at its core.

• Resource conservation:

Conventional textile manufacturing is a thirsty business, consuming vast amounts of water and other resources. Upparel's upcycling model drastically reduces this consumption, making a positive environmental impact.

• Carbon emission reduction:

Upparel plays a vital role in reducing the carbon footprint associated with the fashion industry by elongating the lifecycle of textiles and bypassing the traditional manufacturing process.

• Clothing items (jeans, shirts, coats, etc.)
• Fabric off-cuts and sewing scraps
• Hats
• Wireless bras (incl. bras with their wire removed)
• Socks
• Shoes
• Linen (bedding, blankets, towels, tea towels, etc.)
• Fabric mattress protectors (not waterproof/plastic)
• Fabric couch covers and curtains
• Bathers and swimwear
• Wetsuits

• Duvets/doonas

• Pillows/cushions

• Unwashed items

• Underwear (used e.g. briefs)

• Cloth nappies

• Carpet

• Polyurethane (PU) leather

• Polypropylene (PP) Bags

• Bags (handbags, duffel bags, etc.)

• Belts

• Soft toys

• Wired bras