New Zealand-based company The Formary recycles clothes destined for the rubbish heap and turns it into reusable fabrics and textiles. It has started a textile reuse program, where New Zealand corporates sign up and get advice on the best fabrics to use for uniforms. The company ensures the uniforms are upcycled correctly by sending them to an aggregation centre, which sorts the used material into fiber groups. At that point, the material is then turned into industrial textiles, such as moving blankets, stuffing, and geo-textiles.

One of the biggest challenges is the lack of solutions for each fiber. A garment may be so complicated it has to be deconstructed. New fiber-to-fiber technology helps in this case. This takes textiles back to their original form, like taking polyester outfits and creating polyester pellets and provide that back into manufacturing industries.

The Formary is hoping to expand the textile reuse program to Australia and further afield. Textile waste is growing exponentially, with more than three-quarter of it ending up in landfills or being incinerated. The rest is given to charities or exported to other countries. Cheap dyes and toxic finishes get dumped on rivers. This is a huge environmental problem and a major issue within the clothing supply chain.