Repurpose
Repurpose
At Secret Linen Store, our mission is to minimise textile waste, shrink our environmental footprint, and champion a circular economy. Through our carefully crafted end-of-life strategy, we prioritise three areas - caring, repairing, and repurposing.
We strive to reduce waste in every aspect of our business, including the procurement of our fabrics. Despite our best efforts, some items inevitably fall short of our high standards or are unsellable. However, this doesn't mean they can't be repurposed effectively.
Waste
Something we are very proud of is our mission to eliminate waste. We started by cracking down on reducing waste fabrics. We carefully cut our fabric and avoid pattern matching to reduce the amount of waste fabrics. We also redirect waste fabrics into producing other products. Loving every inch of the fabric we buy. In 2023 we repurposed 9336 metres of wastage material into products. Year to date for 2024 we have repurposed 6327 metres!
What do we do with the materials that don’t make the ‘cut’ and can’t be repurposed? We make “Waste Not Want Not Packs”, for our lovely customers to get crafty with these fabric parcels.
Products that are repurposed from Waste fabric:
Waste Not Want Not Packs
Material that can’t be repurposed will be bundled into our Waste Not Want Not Packs. Customers get a bundle of assorted fabrics, for them to get crafty.
Bobby Bed Linen Bags
Because of different curtain lengths it’s important we make use of the excess fabric, repurposing into our bed linen bags.
Nigel Napkins
Again, made for excess curtain fabric, our Nigel Napkins are there to repurpose the smaller sized remaining fabric.
Twill Valances
When we first started our wastage journey, our Twill Valances were all made from excess curtain fabrics. Our customers loved them so much we had to make them a core line, but when we have the fabric, this collection is another repurposing waste stream.
Recycling
Our mission to eliminate waster doesn’t just stop after the production stage. Sometimes, we have to accept that certain products can't be repurposed or fixed once they become faulty. That's why we partner with Bright Secure Recycling to offer effective recycling solutions. Established in December 2004, Bright Secure Recycling provides a secure closed-loop option for damaged returned stock. Offering innovative recycling solutions that help avoid landfill waste. In 2023 they processed around 1000 tonnes of material!
For products that are damaged beyond repair, we turn to Bright Secure Recycling, who shred these items and use the material to manufacture dog beds.
This way, we’re still contributing to better sleep - just for our canine friends.
Goods for Good
What do we do for products that are usable, but we are unable to sell?...This is where Goods For Good becomes a part of our bedtime story…
It’s a sad reality that millions of people beset by poverty, tragedy or disaster live without basic goods such as clothing, medicines, blankets or hygiene products.
Goods For Good sources and delivers large quantities of these basic goods to pre-identified communities in need. In other words, they take essential items that are surplus to requirements in their current location and send them to where they are needed. Bed linen is included in this list and we are so grateful that our ‘trash’ can be someone else’s treasure.
Goods For Good’s powerful infrastructure enables these products to get where they’re needed remarkably efficiently. They collect goods together and store them locally in UK-based warehouses and at their shipping hub in the Netherlands. This means that they are ready to go when there’s a match made between a vulnerable community and their requested goods and the charity works with their international shipping partners to ensure the loads arrive safely. Once the donations are in-country, Goods For Good works with other registered charities on the ground who supervise the fair and transparent distribution of goods to those in need.
Our most recent donations have gone to 13 different charities: two overseas in Poland and Ukraine and the rest in the UK. In this country the donations have gone to Ukrainian evacuees, refugees, and asylum seekers, including students. The bed linen has also been distributed to homeless organisations that have temporary housing to help the homeless off the street and into jobs and their own accommodation, as well as vulnerable single mums and families.
We believe that this is one small way that we can continue to help reduce waste, at the same time as donating much-needed supplies to those in need. Small steps to a better world.
