At Kuwaii, designing for longevity is at the core of our philosophy — but sustainability doesn’t end with the garment. The fashion industry sends an estimated 227,000 tonnes of textile waste to Australian landfills each year. Much of this is offcuts and production waste — a challenge we’ve tackled head-on through our Textile Recycling Program.
This initiative was launched in 2020 to specifically address the waste generated through our production process. In every collection, we’re left with fabric offcuts — many too small or irregular to be reused in garments. Rather than sending these to landfill, we created a closed-loop system to sort, store, and redirect these materials into meaningful, low-impact uses.
In 2024, we significantly evolved this program by partnering with a local Australian manufacturer who transforms our offcuts into boxing bag stuffing — giving our textile waste a genuinely new life. These boxing bags are handmade in Australia from leather and designed to be long-lasting, high-performance products. It’s a perfectly simple solution, requiring minimal transport and processing resources — a major step forward from our previous system, which involved shipping offcuts to Queensland for mattress filling.
We also work closely with our manufacturers to collect and return their cutting room offcuts. This level of collaboration is only possible due to our long-standing relationships and shared values around sustainability. In our own studio, fabric scraps are separated into reusable, repurposable, and recyclable categories — maximising every metre we order.
This isn’t just about impact reduction — it’s about systems thinking. By creating infrastructure to handle production waste thoughtfully, we’re building a model that’s scalable and deeply aligned with our brand values.
While our Pre-Loved and Repair Programs close the loop with our customers, our Textile Recycling Program ensures we take full responsibility behind the scenes — creating change with care, intention, and local impact.
Kuwaii’s Textile Recycling Program was developed through a hands-on process, driven by our deep commitment to minimising waste at every stage of our business. The initiative began with a simple but impactful idea: create a system to capture and divert textile waste — from our studio, manufacturers, and customers — away from landfill and into more circular uses.
The initial phase involved identifying the types and quantities of textile waste we generate, and researching sustainable disposal and reuse options. We launched a customer-facing garment take-back scheme, providing an in-store drop-off point for pre-loved Kuwaii pieces. These are sorted: quality garments are cleaned and resold through our Pre-Loved program; damaged items are repaired or recycled. This created a visible sustainability touchpoint within our retail space and a product with a responsible end-of-life.
On the production side, we’ve implemented a thoughtful process to collect and sort fabric offcuts from our manufacturing partners. By working closely with a values-aligned group of makers who support our sustainability goals, we’ve handled this aspect of production with care. We couldn’t maintain this level of responsibility with offshore manufacturing.
In our studio, smaller scraps are stored separately, while larger remnants are upcycled into accessories and small-run items.
In 2020, we launched our first major Textile Recycling Program with Textile Recyclers Australia. While a meaningful start, the system had limitations — offcuts accumulated in our studio, creating storage issues, and the service came with costs. Waste was sent to Queensland for mattress filling, which, while practical, never felt like the most aligned use.
In 2024, we found a more scalable, local solution: partnering with an Australian manufacturer who transforms our textile waste into boxing bag stuffing — giving offcuts new life in a long-lasting product.
Built on thoughtful systems and strong relationships, these initiatives have diverted tonnes of waste. The boxing bag partnership expanded our capacity to repurpose scraps — turning waste into value. It’s a scalable example of how a small brand can take measurable action through circular thinking and local partnerships.
Kuwaii’s Textile Recycling Program delivers tangible environmental benefits by significantly reducing textile waste and extending the lifecycle of garments and materials that would otherwise end up in landfill. In an industry where textile waste is often treated as inevitable, our program demonstrates that waste can be redirected into meaningful, low-impact outcomes.
Since launching, the initiative has prevented hundreds of kilograms of textile waste from entering landfill. Through our instore garment take-back program, customers are invited to return pre-loved Kuwaii pieces, which are carefully assessed for reuse. High-quality garments are cleaned and resold through our Pre-Loved collection, promoting a circular fashion economy and reducing demand for new production. Items beyond repair are repurposed into accessories or stripped for components like buttons and zippers, which are reused in our repair service.
The environmental impact of extending the life of a garment is substantial: according to WRAP UK, extending clothing life by just nine months can reduce carbon, water, and waste footprints by 20–30%. Our resale and repair programs directly contribute to these reductions by keeping garments in use for longer.
On the production side, our studio offcuts — previously a hard-to-recycle waste stream — are now captured through a dedicated collection system. In 2024, we scaled up our impact by partnering with a local Australian manufacturer who transforms these offcuts into stuffing for boxing bags. These are durable, long-lasting products that offer a valuable use for scraps too small or irregular for reuse or composting.
This new stream diverts even the most difficult-to-process textile waste from landfill and supports a local, closed-loop solution with very low associated transport emissions. Because both the offcuts and the manufacturer are located in Victoria, the environmental cost of processing is minimal compared to offshore alternatives.
3 of 6 The program also reduces reliance on virgin materials. By encouraging customers to buy Pre-Loved, repair instead of replace, and recycle responsibly, we’re promoting a mindset shift — from fast consumption to conscious stewardship. Importantly, this initiative is supported by education: in-store conversations and signage, digital content, and staff training help engage our community in sustainable behaviour, amplifying the impact beyond our own operations.
The environmental outcomes of our Textile Recycling Program are measurable and growing: reduced landfill, lower emissions, and longer-lasting garments and materials. It’s a clear, practical example of how a small fashion business can create real change — not only by reducing harm, but by designing solutions that give waste a second life.