February 25, 2020 1:45PM ET

Gap, Target Back New Project Accelerating Circularity in Textiles

Accelerating Circularity, backed by Textile Exchange and Walmart Foundation, will help drive circular supply chains via textile recycling. — A "clothing spill" art installation covers a portion of Seattle's Alki Beach to bring attention to textile waste as part of Earth Day, . About three tons of clothing was used in the work, sponsored by Savers, the parent company of local thrift retailer Value Village. The company says that the average North American consumer creates more than 80 pounds of textile waste each year and that Americans throw away more than 10.5 million tons of clothing annually, 95 percent of which could have been reused or recycled.

CREDIT: Elaine Thompson/AP/Shutterstock

Several leading American brands and retailers, including Gap Inc. and Target, have thrown their support behind a new collaborative project designed to accelerate the textile industry’s shift from a linear take-make-dispose model to a circular one where nothing becomes waste. Spearheaded by the nonprofit Textile Exchange, and funded with a grant from the Walmart Foundation,…

This content is for Annual and Limited members only. You can read up to five free articles each month with a Limited Level Subscription. Please log in, or subscribe.

Log In Subscribe