Goodwill leaders gather to advance textile circularity

Sixty Goodwill leaders, alongside textile recycling industry partners and researchers from the Rochester Institute of Technology, convened in Rochester, N.Y., for a two-day event aimed at promoting circularity and extending the life of donated goods. Attendees included representatives from Accelerating Circularity, Tomra, and Sortile, who shared their expertise and insights.

The summit featured demonstrations of advanced textile sorting and grading techniques, garment deconstruction, and circularity landscape modeling, along with the latest recycling machinery and equipment. Local Goodwill organizations showcased results from innovative recycling pilots, such as a program funded by the Walmart Foundation that aims to convert unwearable donations into raw materials for textile recycling.

Steve Preston, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International (GII), emphasized the organization’s dedication to maximizing the value of donated items for the benefit of the planet, communities, and people. Jennifer Lake, president and CEO of Goodwill of the Finger Lakes, highlighted Goodwill’s role in the emerging recycling technology landscape, ensuring that unwearable textiles are recycled into new materials, thus fueling a circular textile economy.