# Garment Repurposing Programs Wearable Collections is a For-Profit Clothing Recycling Company By Rebecca Byers | Published 2013-01-04 | Social Good Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/wearable-collections References: [good.is](http://www.good.is/posts/nonprofit-or-for-profit-here-s-how-i-decided-to-go-for-profit) & [wearablecollections](http://wearablecollections.com/) Wearable Collections is an eco-friendly NYC clothing recycling company that aims to make the [recycling of clothing](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/allbirds-remix) as convenient as recycling a newspaper. Clothing donated to Wearable Collections is sorted at its facility into several different grades: re-usable as secondhand clothing, wiping rags, and scrap to be shredded for low grade fiber products. The secondhand clothing is shipping to emerging markets globally, which they say gets to the final customer "cost effectively." In 2012 alone, Wearable Collections collected and recycled over 2 million pounds of textiles. Wearable Collections is currently running 18 weekly pickup programs in NYC, and you can request a bin in your building on their [website](http://wearablecollections.com/buildings/). **Contact Information** Wearable Collections [website](http://wearablecollections.com/) Wearable Collections on [Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/wearablecollections1) Wearable Collections on [Twitter](http://twitter.com/Wearablecollect) ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.3/10 - Popularity: 17% | Activity: 45% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Social Good](https://www.trendhunter.com/socialgood) > [Social Business](https://www.trendhunter.com/socialbusiness) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Clothing Recycling Programs:** Opportunity for disruptive innovation in creating more convenient and accessible clothing recycling programs. - **Global Secondhand Clothing Market:** Potential for disruptive innovation in optimizing the distribution and logistics of secondhand clothing to emerging markets. - **Eco-friendly Textile Recycling Techniques:** Disruptive innovation opportunities in developing advanced techniques for recycling textiles into low-grade fiber products. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Sustainability Services:** Opportunity for disruptive innovation in the field of sustainable clothing recycling services. - **Logistics and Distribution:** Potential for disruptive innovation in the efficient distribution of secondhand clothing to global markets. - **Textile Manufacturing:** Disruptive innovation opportunities in developing advanced techniques for recycling textile waste into new products. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Rewarding Recycling Initiatives](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/patagonia-2.md) - [Closet-Clearing Challenges](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/closet-clearout-challenge.md) - [Textile Recycling Partnerships](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dunelm-and-the-salvation-army.md) - [High-Tech Textile Sorting Facilities](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/textile-sorting-facility.md) - [Hair-Reusing Fabric Companies](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dutch-startup.md) - [Sustainable Yacht Crew Uniforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/national-marine-suppliers.md) - [Sustainably-Focused Experimental Fashion](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/upcycled-fashion-collection.md) - [Social Good Clothing Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/zigzag-and-the-salvation-army.md) - [Sustainable Play Clothes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sustainable-play-clothes.md)