SWACO is the presenting sponsor for Fashion Week Columbus鈥� Recycled Runway event which challenges fashion design students to create garments using textiles which would otherwise be sent to the landfill. SWACO鈥檚 sponsorship of this event is part of Greenprint: For a Sustainable Future, which prioritizes the formation of new partnerships in order to create outlets and opportunities to capture and divert hard to recycle materials, including textiles.
In central Ohio, textiles are a growing waste stream, equating to 46,000 tons annually, or 4% of all materials sent to the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill each year. Reusing, upcycling and recycling textiles reduces landfill waste and avoids the need for new raw materials, saving natural resources and minimizing pollution. Textile recycling also creates jobs and promotes a more circular economy in which materials are kept in circulation for as long as possible.
Launched in 2021, Recycled Runway challenges teams to design garments using packaging and fabric scraps and unconventional textiles instead of sending them to the landfill. Each look is paired with hair and makeup artistry by鈥痵tudents鈥痜rom Nurtur Aveda Institutes, curated to amplify the vision behind every design.
鈥淪WACO is proud to once again support Fashion Week Columbus and the Recycled Runway event,鈥� said Joe Lombardi, SWACO鈥檚 Executive Director. 鈥淲e are committed to supporting the artists, designers, creators and many, many innovators in central Ohio who are making headway to reduce textile waste. Bravo!鈥�