Homeware and fashion retailer The White Company has joined the ‘Cotton Lives On’ cotton recycling programme, which aims to encourage staff to donate clothing products made from the material and help give their unwanted items a second life.
The initiative, which was announced to employees during The White Company’s first Sustainability Week event between 3-5 June, is the brainchild of cotton industry groups Cotton Council International and Cotton Incorporated. It was launched in 2022 as a way for organisations to contribute to a more circular economy and help good causes because the material collected through the scheme is recycled into items such as roll mats which are distributed to people in need.
Other UK retailers and brands running their own Cotton Lives On programmes internally include Paige, Charles Tyrwhitt, Hush, Whistles, Hobbs, Phase Eight, L’Estrange, Anthropologie, Bianca Saunders, Nexvision and ME+EM.
Initial contributions at The White Company have resulted in 35 kg of material being donated, which is enough to make approximately six roll mats for people at risk of homelessness.
To date, the Cotton Lives On programme has collected around 8,000 kg of cotton in the UK and gifted more than 100 roll mats. According to Cotton Incorporated, each new roll mat contains 6.4kg of unwearable cotton.
Alex Barnett, ethics & sustainability manager at The White Company, commented: “With a series of events and initiatives, The White Company Sustainability Week brought together people from across our business to hear about the steps we are taking to address the most important issues for people and the planet.
“Transitioning towards a more circular future is a key focus for us, and with cotton being a key material, we’re excited to launch our partnership with the Cotton Lives On programme during Sustainability Week to recycle cotton products at the end of their life and repurpose them by creating roll mats for organisations in need.”
Andrea Samber, director for consumer marketing brand partnerships at Cotton Incorporated, said: “The White Company has high ambitions to be a business as a force for good and we are delighted to work with them to achieve this.”
The White Company officially became a B Corp organisation in 2024, which recognises the company as a business committed to being a force for good. Being a certified B Corp means the retailer has a framework in place for continuous improvement related to its work to become a more sustainable, ethical, and socially-minded organisation, and it has made people and planet welfare a priority alongside profitability.
[image credit: Green Retail World]
