Urban Outfitters to collab with FabScrap to address commercial textile waste

Urban Outfitters, Inc. has partnered with FabScrap to help the organization grow and reduce the apparel industry’s environmental impact by providing a working capital grant.

As part of its attempts to minimize duplication in its supply chain, the retailer began partnering with FabScrap in 2019. Urban Outfitters, Inc. was able to recover cloth waste from their knitting, sample, and pattern-making operations thanks to the non-profit.

According to the Ellen McArthur Foundation’s report “A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning Fashion’s Future,” more needs to be done, as more than 6.3 million tonnes of textiles are wasted each year during the design and production process for clothing.

Urban Outfitters would aid FabScrap’s extension into the Mid-Atlantic region for combating commercial textile waste by offering a new physical location in Philadelphia as well as a working capital grant as part of this new relationship.

The co-president and chief operating officer, Urban Outfitters, Inc., Frank J. Conforti said they’re looking forward to working with FabScrap as they take the next step in their sustainability path. Due to local demand for services and several collaborations with architecture and art colleges and non-profits in the region, Philadelphia is an ideal place to grow. They hope that this extension will help FabScrap and their group find an infrastructure solution.

FabScrap is a non-profit organization based in New York City that has pioneered a method for reusing and recycling fabric waste. It seeks to counter the apparel industry’s commercial textile waste crisis by diverting as much unused content as possible from being landfilled or incinerated, while also providing an accessible materials resource for creative communities.

The chief executive of FabScrap, Jessica Schreiber said that Urban Outfitters, Inc.’s funding for FabScrap’s product recycling and reuse infrastructure is great. This infrastructure is an essential part of fashion’s transition to a more sustainable future.

She adds that they’re leading the way in changing how the fashion industry treats fabric waste, but their efforts are contingent on businesses and people in the industry recognizing the problem and aggressively finding a solution. Urban Outfitters, Inc. is aggressively contributing to their success, making their services more accessible, and increasing their impact.