15/09/2024
And that’s a Wrap! 🤩🍃
Fantastic to see such a mixture of community, innovative industry, local and state government in one room.
We had a great evening discussing the sustainability of the value chain of textiles in and around the Gold Coast last Friday at the Nerang Bicentennial Center.
With Australia being the second highest “producer/user” of textiles after the US, It is obvious to us all that we needs to urgently change our behaviour around textiles and adapt more habits.
Some of the 🔑takeaways from the night were:
🛋️Textile is an upcoming focus area for Australia, we heard from Department of Environment, Science and Innovation and Seamless on upcoming state and national policy and frameworks to support diversion from landfill of this challenging and versatile material stream.
💰♻️It is possible to create finacially viable business models for selling reusable fashion, this was showcased and discussed by for example VENLA resell+relove but also our local artists, Upcycle4Better and Salvos Stores
🏭 Just up the road we have one of the most innovative textile Recycling facilities BlockTexx in the world, scaling up to take 10,000 tpa of textiles and recirculating them back in to new products and natural soil additatives, let’s support them by putting and purchasing recycled content back in to products and materials 🍃
👗🧥👠The panel discussion talked about how to refuse fast fashion, make it easier for all to participate by expanding the current network of collection points, educate and promote good use of textile materials (avoid complex multi layers) to create recyclable clothing, workwear and PPE!
💃🏻Circular fashion can be both affordable and cool, as showcased in our Fashion Show and Tell 👚🧥👔
It is clear to me that we have support from both local and state government to push this trend forward and that we have a wonderful community in and around the working with upcycling of clothes into beautiful fashion!
The Circular Economy Club Gold Coast says a final thank you to all participants, volunteers, sponsors (especially City of Gold Coast, Phoenix Power Recyclers and IKEA) and co-hosts (Swedish Australian Chamber of Commerce and Svenska Skolan Gold Coast / Swedish School Gold Coast ) for this time and hope to meet with you all again for a breakfast meeting during Circular Cities Week in first week of December 👋🙏🥰
Thanks to….
Kylie Hughes, Cara McNicol, VENLA resell+relove, Graham Ross, BlockTexx, Ainsley Simpson, Seamless, Meaghan Scanlon MP, John Twitchen, Stuff4Life Ltd, John Bradbury, Encycle Consulting, Tim Lindgren , QUT (Queensland University of Technology), Carina Arita, TOMRA Collection Australia, Cass Gell, The Sewing Lair & Sewing for Charity, Cameron Wilson, Upcycle4Better, Povel Torudd, Berkely Communications, The Salvation Army Australia, Erica Bates (Just Be It), Wendi Trulson (Ecowott Nature's Imprint), Therese Flynn-Clarke (Southside Upcycling Stitchers), Jess Bailey, Dan Baber, our models from nearby High Schools (Nerang) and Soccer clubs (Magic United)👌 Swedish Australian Chamber of Commerce, Svenska Skolan Gold Coast / Swedish School Gold Coast, City of Gold Coast, Phoenix Power Recyclers, IKEA, Media Insights, The Men's Shed Labrador, Hudson & Rosie's Table, Linda Nordin, Sarah Tosone, Chris Alexander, Carin Varverud Härdin, MARIEANNE RAMM, Renea Robson, Maria McIntyre, Mairead Lister (Lenihan), Elisabeth Agren, Anica Yovich
