As global consumption and waste associated with textiles continues to accelerate, with clothing production more than doubling in the past 15 years while 85% of apparel purchased in Australia is sent directly to landfill at end of life, there are opportunities to ensure clothing, textiles and fibres remain circulating in the economy at their highest value and utility.
Green Industries SA is working to address how textiles can become more circular through its policy framework, research, investment and programs.
Policy in South Australia
South Australia’s Waste Strategy 2020-2025
Textile waste is identified as a problematic waste in South Australia’s Waste Strategy 2020-25.
Priority actions under the strategy include:
- supporting investment in textile recovery technology
- researching opportunities that may reduce the generation of textile waste and increase the recovery of textiles
- advocating for approaches that motivate individuals to dispose of unwanted textiles in a responsible manner.
Opportunities for circular textiles report
Green Industries SA and Greenaround Consulting have completed a report which examines opportunities for textiles circularity in South Australia.
This followed stakeholder consultation across the textiles value chain, including producers, users and resource recovery, and describes the opportunities for textiles circularity in South Australia by:
- investigating South Australia's current capacity to handle and recover textiles, and how/where it can be expanded
- considering current challenges and barriers for textiles circularity
- identifying further opportunities and interventions to the current system.
This work has informed Green Industries SA’s development of immediate term steps that can and will inform future business planning processes and investments undertaken within South Australia.
Federal policy
The Commonwealth Minister for Environment has listed clothing textiles on the 2023–24 Minister’s product stewardship priority list which identifies products and materials considered to be most in need of a product stewardship approach.
To support this, 'Seamless', a product stewardship scheme for clothing came into operation in July 2024. Developed by the Australian Fashion Council in collaboration with Charitable Recycling Australia, Queensland University of Technology, Sustainable Resource Use and WRAP, Australia’s first National Clothing Product Stewardship Scheme. It aims to improve the design, recovery, reuse and recycling of textiles in line with National Waste Policy Action Plan targets. The Minister has stated that if the scheme is not delivering results, regulations will be put in place.
Two years in development, the scheme will place a 4 cent levy on all clothing (made locally or imported) put onto the market in Australia. This funding will drive change across a range of areas, from infrastructure to collection systems to education campaigns.
Programs
Circular textiles communities of practice
Green Industries SA convenes 2 online circular textiles networks. Both are comprised of government, business/startups, academics, designers, NGOs and individuals who are working to create a circular textiles economy in South Australia, from post-consumer management of textiles, design, new business models, research and skills development, to procurement.
STITCH is a network for those in South Australia working to create a circular textiles economy, from fashion to industrial textiles, charitable reuse and more. It meets bi-monthly.
Fit For Purpose is a uniform-specific network for those in South Australia working to create circular government, corporate, school, or sporting uniforms. It meets monthly.
If you would like to participate in one or both of these, please contact gisa.circulartextiles@sa.gov.au stating which network/s you are interested in, and you will receive a meeting request.
2024 linen drive: Give a Sheet for the planet
In May 2024, GISA partnered with textile recycling company BlockTexx and 8 metropolitan councils to host a linen drive across metropolitan Adelaide. All South Australian residents were invited to drop off their old and worn bedroom, bathroom and kitchen linens for recycling.
Nearly 10 tonnes of linens were collected on the day – equivalent to 40,000 bed sheets or 10,000 towels – resulting in approximately 29,000 kg of carbon emission savings. The collected materials were decommissioned by Bedford SA, shredded, then transported to BlockTexx's state-of-the-art facility in Queensland to be broken down into new high-grade recycled materials that can be used by Australian manufacturers to create a range of new products used in construction and agriculture.
2025 clothing and linen drive: Set your clothes free
In 2025, following the success of Give a Sheet for the planet, GISA is again hosting a free textiles collection event, open to all South Australians. For the 2025 event, Set your clothes free, GISA has partnered with local councils and charities to help South Australians donate their unwanted, but still high-quality clothing and footwear. Collected garments will be sorted by the participating charities, and will then go on to be sold in their stores.
Residents will also have the option to once again drop off their unwanted household linens, in any condition, to be recycled by BlockTexx.
The event is scheduled for Saturday 24 May, from 9 am to 3 pm, with 8 drop-off sites from Victor Harbor through to Gawler.
GISA is partnering with local councils and charities to help South Australians donate their unwanted, high-quality clothing, and recycle their unwanted household linens, in any condition.
Circular Textiles Roundtable
Green Industries SA hosted a Circular Textiles Roundtable in May 2024 to convene interested parties who are actively working on various aspects of a circular textile economy in South Australia.
The Roundtable attracted more than 60 participants, including representatives from state and local government, small business, brands, designers, TAFE, academia, recyclers, designers, social enterprise and community groups.
This event included ‘State of Play’ snapshots presented on the Seamless National Product Stewardship Scheme, circular uniforms, skills for circular textiles, the charity sector, and social enterprise, along with keynotes on design, use and end of life.
State government uniforms
In mid-2023, GISA convened procurement representatives from selected state government agencies with large uniform requirements, and engaged a consultant to gather data on the material pathway of uniforms within the agencies, including who is buying uniforms, how many are being purchased, how many are in use, how many are surplus, and how and where they are disposed of. The information will be used to identify areas where the government can improve its procurement and sustainability practices and become more circular.
The ESG in Government Uniform Procurement Masterclass held on 31 July 2024 as a collaboration between Green Industries SA and the Office of the Industry Advocate is now available to view:
Circular Impact Accelerator
GISA partnered with Collab4Good and StartSome Good to deliver the Circular Impact Accelerator program in 2022 and 2023. The program supports people with a circular economy idea who are ready to take further action to test, validate and clarify their concept, while also and gaining access to new networks, customers and investment to bring their idea to life. The program culminates in a pitch night and, for those enterprises who are ready, the kick-off of a crowdfunding campaign to get them underway.
A number of participating teams have had a textiles focus:
- Spinning Tops is a replicable system to centralise and organise the second-hand school uniform marketplace, providing motivational value for donators and convenience for buyers. This will reduce uniform waste to landfill and maximise the items' use.
- The Circular Village is developing a series of practical 'Transition to Circular Fashion' Tools and Services to support the local and national fashion industry as part of our national agenda to be circular by 2030.
- Is it possible to transform workplace cultures by integrating sustainable textile practices, teamwork and professional skills? The Workplace Wellbeing Wardrobe workshops bring together wellbeing and sustainability while educating businesses in circular design. Our workshops strengthen connections, while demonstrating sustainable impact through skill exchange and reflective learning.
Learn more about the participating teams:
Charitable Sector
The charitable sector plays an important role in the circular economy by reusing, reselling or recycling materials that would otherwise be destined for landfill.
In South Australia, the charitable recycling sector processes 30,614 tonnes of clothing annually, making it one of the key players in textile recycling. The resale and export of used clothing generates more than $52 million in revenue annually, and contributes to environmental savings and job creation.
In recognition of the challenges the charitable sector faces with unusable donated goods and illegal dumping, the Charitable Recyclers Subsidy Program provides partial financial relief to charitable recycling organisations aligned with the solid waste levy.
Research
Women in Circular Economy
2022 winner: Penelope Morrison – An investigation of European waste textiles sorting facilities and opportunities for South Australia
Education and Community Projects Officer with the Northern Adelaide Waste Management Authority Penelope Morrison was awarded the Green Industries SA Women in Circular Economy Leadership Award in 2022.
Ms Morrison's report explores waste textile sorting methods used in Europe to obtain high quality outputs and the key drivers behind this, and discusses South Australia's position to host a textiles sorting, recovery and recycling hub.
2018 winner: Shani Wood – Opportunities to increase textile resource recovery rates in South Australia
Environmental Officer with the City of Holdfast Bay Shani Wood was awarded the Green Industries SA Women in Circular Economy Leadership Award in 2018.
Ms Wood's report investigates textile recovery practices in Australia, Hong Kong, the UK, and Belgium.
