Good Sammy has joined forces with fellow Western Australian social enterprise Fibre Economy to save used and unwanted high vis workwear from landfill.
Fibre Economy is a local start-up committed to minimising textile waste and leveraging its value in the circular economy. Through its Second Life Workwear initiative, Fibre Economy collects second-hand high vis uniforms from WA businesses to divert the clothing from landfill and extend its life through recycling, reuse and upcycling.
The innovative partnership will see Fibre Economy establish their operational headquarters at our Canning Vale warehouse and recycling facility. Fibre Economy will hire and train Good Sammy employees to complete textile manufacturing and recycling tasks including grading, sorting, dismantling and valorisation of branded high vis clothing. Good Sammy will also provide Fibre Economy with access to equipment and space within our social enterprise ecosystem, including logistics services to collect donated high vis uniforms from WA mining, resources, construction and trade businesses participating in the Second Life Workwear initiative.
Good Sammy Chief Executive Officer Kane Blackman said the partnership with Fibre Economy ticked a lot of boxes for Good Sammy.
“In addition to this partnership delivering on Good Sammy’s mission to provide employment, training and development opportunities for people with disability, there is a real synergy between Good Sammy and Fibre Economy in our investments in the circular economy and harnessing the value of unwanted textiles, which has been at the core of our business since 1958,” Mr Blackman said.
“Western Australia’s workforce is flush with high vis workwear, particularly WA’s resources sector that employs close to 160,000 people. When you consider Australian safety standards recommend high vis garments be replaced every six months, the volume of used high vis workwear potentially becoming landfill just from WA’s resources sector is astronomical. With that in mind, there is a real opportunity for companies looking to reduce their waste footprint to engage with Fibre Economy and Good Sammy through the Second Life Workwear initiative and support disability employment in the process.”
“Good Sammy also invites other businesses to reach out to us to explore how we can support them in their own circular economy activities.”
Fibre Economy Co-Founder Claudi Janse Van Rensburg said the partnership with Good Sammy would enable greater ESG opportunities for WA businesses.
“Fibre Economy’s Second Life Workwear initiative empowers companies using high vis in their operations to make a positive environmental and social impact by saving their unwanted high vis workwear from ending up as landfill,” Ms Janse Van Rensburg said.
“Through our partnership with Good Sammy, we are keen to grow the number of mining, resources, construction, trade and other businesses in WA participating in the circular economy and reducing their textile waste. If your business is interested in becoming a Second Life Workwear participant, please contact us at claudi@fibreeconomy.com.”
For more information about Fibre Economy, click here.
Good Sammy CEO Kane Blackman with Fibre Economy’s Shannon Itzstein, Molly Ryan and Claudi Janse Van Rensburg.
