This partnership represents a vital tenet of Recover's mission: educating key players in the fashion industry in sustainable practices so that we can make an accessible circular future of fashion a reality.

Earlier this year, Chief Sustainability Officer, Helene Smits, hosted a workshop for The Modern Artisan program’s participating designers, focused on making tomorrow’s creators aware of the impact of their designs, from the sketch to its post-consumer lifespan.

Underscoring designs’ long-term impact

One of the fundamental principles Helene covered with programs’ participants is the importance of thinking holistically: taking every step of the process into account.

She explained how at Recover™, the people primarily recycle post-industrial textile waste as it can be easily sorted by color and composition. Pre-sorted, Recover does not need to dye the fibers again, which reduces the use of chemicals and resources, and ultimately, its environmental impact.

Helene also discussed the industry’s many challenges to bring post-consumer recycling to scale. At Recover™, post-consumer textile waste makes up a much smaller percentage of the recycled fiber they produce. She also highlighted the importance of taking the lifespan of the fibers used into account -- as some, like cotton and polyester, can both be recycled while others are destined for single use.