We are constantly looking for new recycling opportunities for disposed textiles
Textile rental service is a waste-free solution for our customers, as the responsibility for purchasing, maintenance, and disposal is ours at Lindström.
Textile waste is not only for us, but also a globally growing problem, and we are constantly looking for new recycling opportunities for disposed textiles such as workwear, mats, hotel linens and table cloths for restaurants. Our primary goal is to prevent waste generation and we already take this into account when making textile purchases.
Annually, we purchase more than 3 million kilograms of new textiles and remove from use about a million kilograms of textiles that have reached the end of their life cycle.
In 2017, we launched our own workwear production in Latvia. Our own production helps us to better prevent the generation of textile waste, because the clothes are made only for a real need, not for the warehouse. In addition, with our own production line, we are able to meet our customers’ wishes for even faster deliveries.
Our strong growth means even larger purchasing volumes. For example, in India, we already have over a million work clothes circulating. We take care of the efficient use of the purchased textiles for their entire life cycle by designing the garments in a multifunctional way, by washing and repairing workwear, and by utilizing textiles in different phases of the life cycle for different customers. This way, even worn and repaired garments are being used efficiently.
Collaboration is the key to better use of textile waste
Our aim is to increase the utilization of textiles to 90% by 2020. The current practice is to burn used-up work clothes to create energy. However, this is not the best solution for the environment and we want to add, above all, to the reuse of textiles. Our biggest challenge in utilizing our textiles is to find the right local partners. Reaching the goal to increase the utilization of textile waste requires us to deepen our own expertise and perseverance in the search for partners and new alternatives for recycling. Read also article about the actions we take to reach the goal: Our goal is to decrease generation of textile waste.
