Can Australia Post's Circular Clothing Service be a Success?

Often, when sustainable initiatives are rolled out through public services, they have the ability to capture the imaginations and change the behaviours of consumers far more than the private sector ever could.

Because basic amenities like education, health or waste removal are so embedded in the lives and routines of citizens, small acts of sustainability in these areas can take on a life of their own.

Australia Post is one public organisation that is capitalising on this at the moment.

The service has just launched a national pilot programme that allows customers of Australian fashion retailer R.M.Williams to return their unwanted shirts and t-shirts through the postal network using satchels made locally from recycled materials.

Jane Anderson, the Executive General Manager of Community, Sustainability & Stakeholder Engagement at Australia Post, frames the initiative around convenience. "What if recycling your old clothes was as easy as sending a parcel?" she asks.

The satchels are produced by iQRenew and RollsPack, and they are designed to withstand the to and fro of the postal network while functioning as a tracking "passport" through the circular system.

Closing the loop on textile waste

Customers of popular Australian store R.M.Williams can add their circular satchels to their order at the checkout desk.

Jane said: "If you're looking for Xmas present ideas and want to participate in this circularity trial, you can shop online at R.M.Williams and you'll see the option to buy a purpose-designed satchel when you get to the check out."

The process allows customers to return end-of-life shirts and T-shirts from any brand by dropping the filled satchel at red street postboxes, parcel lockers or post offices.

Once collected, the satchels enter the Australia Post network and are delivered to REMONDIS Australia and BlockTexx, where contents are sorted and processed into new materials.

iQRenew also manages the end-of-life recycling of the satchels themselves.

"The satchel itself is made in Australia from 100% recycled material and will be recycled locally at the end of the process – helping to close the loop," says Jane.

Addressing Australia's textile problem

This pilot project addresses one of Australia's –  and the world's – biggest challenges: textile waste. Down under, more than 220,000 tonnes of textiles are sent to landfill every single year. Globally, that figure rises to 92 million tonnes, according to the UNEP.

With this programme, Australia Post is aiming to make recycling clothes easier and more accessible. This is one of the major benefits of running sustainability schemes through ubiquitous public services.

Richard Pittard, Australia Post's Chief Sustainability Officer, says that the programme is "all about learning".

He also says that the pilot will test "how we can co-create practical, scalable solutions to keep textiles in circulation and out of landfill".

"It's a practical step towards a more sustainable, circular future for clothing in Australia – and one of the ways we're using our national network to enable change," Jane explains.

The importance of collaboration in waste reduction schemes

The pilot will be supported by a grant from the Seamless Circular Clothing Textiles Fund.

Seamless is Australia's national clothing stewardship scheme, designed to shift clothing towards being redesigned, used, reused and recycled rather than discarded.

The initiative brings together R.M.Williams, REMONDIS Australia, BlockTexx and iQRenew and, of course, Australia Post. It is the kind of collaboration that goes to show the value of cross-industry communication and how it can translate circular economy concepts into real, usable systems.

The postal service hasn't yet disclosed how long the pilot scheme will run for, or which metrics its success will be measured on, but should it prove popular then it is likely the government will expand the programme.

Learn more about circularity at Sustainability Magazine's Net Zero Summit

Interested in the circular economy, recycling and zero-waste principles? Next year, across 4-5 March, our live event The Net Zero Summit will take place at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in Westminster, London, where circularity will be a huge talking point.

With a whole session dedicated to the subject on 5 March, you'll be able to learn from experts including Intertek's Samir Ahmed, Alpine Group's Clare Woodford and Virgin Media O2's Dana Haidin, all of whom will share their insights and experiences in promoting a culture of product sustainability.

At the event you'll be able to enjoy sessions, seminars, workshops and discussions on a huge variety of sustainability subjects, as well as unparalleled networking opportunities.

Follow this link to book your tickets now and save £200.