Rewoven - Reimagining textile waste

The fashion industry in South Africa has high job creation potential, especially in the textile sector. However, about half of these manufacturers either dump at landfills, burn or sludge their waste fabric. Until now, there has simply been no recycling on a significant scale.

Rewoven diverts textile waste produced by clothing manufacturers from landfill in Cape Town by recycling and upcycling. They collect a range of raw materials: off-cut fabric, end-of-roll fabric, clothing rejects, and unsold inventory. The fabrics are then sorted into two different processes. Domestically recycled textile waste fibres are processed in South Africa and used as filling materials, construction insulation, disaster relief blankets and so on. 100% recycled fabrics are processed by Rewoven’s R&D partner in India – although their ultimate plan is to set up recycling facilities in South Africa. 

The team at Rewoven is also doing further research to understand the journey and impact of fashion waste. In 2020 they launched Future of Fashion, a sustainable fashion indaba dedicated to enabling collaborative knowledge-sharing that can help the development of a thriving, inclusive, ethical and future-fit local fashion industry.