Going Circular Is the New Green—Here’s How Home Goods Companies Are Closing the Loop
From IKEA to Emeco, a growing number of businesses are slashing waste by putting it straight back into production.
From IKEA to Emeco, a growing number of businesses are slashing waste by putting it straight back into production.
Keeping a home is wasteful business: Linens and furniture wear thin over time, and kitchen and bath products arrive in single-use packaging before moving on to pile up in landfills or pollute our oceans. In terms of textiles alone, roughly 10 million tons of postconsumer fabrics are jettisoned to the great beyond every year in the U.S. But with consumer incentive programs, recycling partnerships, and a new approach to product lifecycles, some companies are giving all that trash a second chance.
Coyuchi
Organic linens company Coyuchi is rolling out a new line of goods called 2nd Home. By partnering with upcycling experts The Renewal Workshop, they can clean and mend used products to put them back on shelves.
Courtesy of Coyuchi
Organic linens brand Coyuchi has championed sustainable materials and production methods since opening their doors in 1991—and now, a new take-back program helps close the loop once goods leave store shelves. Customers can return once-loved blankets, throws, or bedsheets in exchange for a discount on new orders. The returned goods are mended at a partner’s factory, or broken down by Recover to be spun into yarn for brand-new textiles. Coyuchi is putting that yarn into its first circular product, aptly named the Full Circle recycled cotton blanket & throw, cutting reliance on newly sourced cotton in half.
The Full Circle blanket is woven from 52% reclaimed cotton fibers.
Courtesy of Coyuchi
"It’s the first proof of concept that circularity is achievable in textiles, and beyond," says Eileen Mockus, Coyuchi’s CEO and president. As these programs gain traction, more fabrics destined for the landfill will instead restock retail shelves.
Emeco
Emeco's chairs are made predominantly from the chaff of factory floors: plastics, wood shavings, and recycled aluminum. They also partner with companies like Coca-Cola to implement plastic bottles in their designs. Send the company your old chair, and they’ll put the materials back into production.
Courtesy of Emeco
See the full story on Dwell.com: Going Circular Is the New Green—Here’s How Home Goods Companies Are Closing the Loop
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