Welcome to Better Together’s bi-weekly newsletter, where we believe that the more we work together, the greater impact. Written by Rachel Ceruti, Director of Community @ FABSCRAP.
Here’s a glimpse at what volunteers do at FABSCRAP.
Last week I started my new series, “FOLLOW THE FABRIC” and gave an overview of the 6 parts of FABSCRAP. Fresh off a volunteer pop-up, I wanted to pull back the curtain on what volunteering at FABSCRAP entails for the deep dive of this newsletter.
First things first
FABSCRAP reuses and recycles pre-consumer textile waste. This is all the waste generated by brands before we, as people who shop/thrift/sell/swap, even see the clothes.
Waste nerds (like myself) are going to come after to me, but it’s sometimes referred to industrial, commercial, or pre-consumer textile waste.
Inherently we know that throwing anything away is bad.
If you’re reading this it’s highly likely that you avoid throwing things away at all costs. I’ve always said, there is a fine line between upcycling and hoarding.
But there are major, global implications of textile waste. Here are a few:
At FABSCRAP, we reuse and recycle everything that comes with pre-consumer textile waste.
Over 11,000 people have volunteered with us! They help us determine what to do with the ~7,000+ lbs of textile waste we receive per week. Textile waste is more than fabric, so we’ve set up sustainable streams for all materials that come our way!
Before textiles can be recycled, every piece has to pass through human hands. Textile waste often contains other materials (think metal zippers, paper tags, plastic sequin, and sticker labels), but only certain textiles can be recycled. That’s where FABSCRAP volunteers come in: sorting and deconstructing these materials (i.e., removing stickers and staples, cutting off paper headers and trims like zippers, buttons, and sequins, and placing everything in the proper bins), to ensure the textiles can be recycled. Even better, volunteers also sort for textiles that can be reused by the community, too!
FABSCRAP volunteers make textile recycling (and reuse!) possible.
Think a friend would find this FASCINATING?
AND/OR…
*To volunteer at FABSCRAP, you are required to create an account. This is a big step for our business and we’re so excited to continute rolling out the capabilities this allow us (& you)!
🔗Textile Resources
NYFW x FABSCRAP (aka a better fashion week event): Craft night @ the warehouse Sept 9th!
Sustainable & Crafty New Yorkers: Next Season is hosting a Studio Open House on Sept 6th - you won’t want to miss this!
Circular business models receive just 2% of all investments
Bipartisan coalition dedicated to championing the growing recommerce economy - yes please!
Great article on the growing global recognition of New York State’s textile regulation.
You’re a real one if you know I’m obsessed with eBay’s investment in circular fashion.
Listen: The Vergecast came to FABSCRAP.
Learn more about FABSCRAP, sort through textile waste, and listen to yours truly on a panel at this amazing Climate Week event with Remake!
~70% of what we recieve at FABSCRAP are swatches (aka headers). Here’s what we’re doing to make them more sustainable!
👁️ Deep Dives
“SLOW FASHION CAUCUS”
This first-of-its-kind caucus brings lawmakers and industry leaders together to advance policies that make fashion more sustainable. In Congress, a caucus is simply a group of members who band together around a shared cause—and in this case, it’s about rethinking the future of textiles through repair, reuse, recycling, and circular design.! The Slow Fashion Caucus was launched by Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) alongside Reps. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) and Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.).
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“RACHEL’S BOOK RECS”
Nobody asked but I LOVE reading and use every excuse to talk about books I love IRL, so I’m not sure why I haven’t used this platform to do so. Let me know if you want more info, but here are 3 books I’m currently reading or just finished & LOVE:
Women's Work: The First 20,000 Years: Women, Cloth, and Society in Early Times
by Elizabeth Wayland Barber
Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism
by Sarah Wynn-Williams
The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World
by Virginia Postrel
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“FROM THE ARCHIVES”
I’ve gotten a lot of new followers recently and I wanted to share my first Substack post as a window into who I am! This was back before I merged my business, Reclypt, with FABSCRAP, but it’s a great intro into who I am.
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Thanks for reading!
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I'm requesting the books in your article from my library. Thank you for your article!