You may already be familiar with FABSCRAP if you read No Kill Mag. It is a nonprofit that recycles or sells excess materials from fashion brands that used to end up in landfills. But did you know it is building a vibrant community around upcycled fashion and more?
Recently, Rachel Ceruti, who originally founded Reclypt, took on the role of FABSCRAP’s new Director of Partnerships, Outreach, and Education. She spoke with us about merging Reclypt with FABSCRAP and her vision to expand community outreach.
What was your original vision for Reclypt, and why were you drawn to FABSCRAP as a new hub of operations?
Reclypt’s original vision was to provide access to and raise awareness about upcycled fashion. We did this by speaking out about the social and environmental need for upcycling, which fostered a vocal, action-oriented community. The community’s engagement influenced Reclypt’s evolution, leading to new initiatives like starting a mending club, broadening the conversation to encompass the larger circular economy, and hosting a weekend-long event for all things circular fashion.
Having worked with and supported FABSCRAP numerous times, I knew their mission and reach would exponentially propel our vision of creating change in the circular economy and allow us to expand our community, offerings, and impact.
What is your vision for expanding FABSCRAP’s community outreach?
I want people to know why FABSCRAP exists and how they can get involved. In my experience, once someone learns about the massive amount of waste in the textile industry, they think more about their impact and might even try to change it.
Everything we loved about Reclypt is now at FABSCRAP. (You can also read My Letter on Substack for more.)
The first Monday of each month will be a workshop exploring new skills and creative ways to work with our deadstock materials (from knitting to identifying fibers, and upcycling denim to sewing basics).
The second Tuesday of each month will be our craft night – an evening to work on any handcraft projects you’ve got, with community (from mending to crochet to organizing your sewing kit)
The last Thursday of each month will be a Sip & Sort – volunteering but with drinks & in the evening! A fun way to sort & find community
Each quarter, on the third Wednesday of the month we’ll host a panel OR book club discussion! Check out the dates, topics & books below! (Reading not required for the book club discussion BUT get a head start on any that catch your eye!)
FABSCRAP Panel Topics:
February 19th: The Microplastic Paradox: Challenges in Sustainable Textiles
May 21st: What is Pre-Consumer Textile Waste and How Does It Happen?
July 23rd: Communities Extending the Life of Our Clothes
November 19th: What is Textile Recycling? Policy, Waste, and Circularity
2025 Book Selections:
March 19: Too Dye For by Alden Wicker
June 18: Consumed by Aja Barber
August 20: The Conscious Closet by Elizabeth Cline
December 17: What If We Get It Right? by Ayana Elizabeth Johnso
All the dates are in the FABSCRAP CALENDAR – gifted to any donations over $35! Get them while they last
Another big part of my role is undoing a lot of fake news for FABSCRAP. For instance, we are not a thrift store; we won’t take your used clothes. You can’t bargain; the price is the price.
What’s going on at FABSCRAP these days? How much fabric is being resold? What happens to the fabrics that you don’t manage to sell?
We are on the brink of something extraordinary: as 2024 closes, we’ll be hitting the milestone of saving 1.9 million pounds of garbage-destined fabrics, trim, scraps, and sample garments from landfill!
Our volunteers are the backbone of our organization, and are critical to how we separate textiles for reuse or recycling. With our recent expansion to 16 new volunteer tables, our volunteers now have the ability to sort through 2,000 pounds of textiles each week. Every hour spent sorting – cutting, pulling out staples, or uncovering the treasures we find – is another step closer to our shared mission of ending commercial textile waste.
On average, FABSCRAP receives 6 to 8,000 pounds of textile waste a week. As our volunteers sort we’re able to constantly restock our in-person and online store with new inventory! Check them out this Small Business Saturday for great deals. What isn’t sold is downcycled – turned into shoddy where it’ll stay out of landfill for many many decades.
It’s time to mandate textile recycling. How does FABSCRAP help advocate for recycling legislation?
FABSCRAP has been and continues to actively advocate for recycling and circular legislation. Just last month, Founder/CEO Jess Schreiber attended and spoke at the NYC City Council’s Hearing in support of the proposal requiring DSNY to conduct a textile recycling mandate feasibility study. We brought attention to the massive issues of textile waste that FABSCRAP has already been tackling for the last eight years.
We highlighted the inadequate infrastructure currently available for the mandated collection, sorting, and recycling of textiles. Many fiber-to-fiber recycling technologies have yet to be scaled effectively, leading to most textile waste being downcycled rather than fully recycled. Along with other speakers, we emphasized the need for increased support for nonprofits that manage the redistribution of textile waste, which are often overwhelmed by the volume.
Additionally, FABSCRAP is actively promoting sustainable practices in the industry, exemplified by our participation in the global movement of World Circular Textile Day on October 8th. We also support legislative efforts, such as The Fashion Act, by lobbying in Albany, incorporating it into our educational presentations, and raising awareness within our community.
FABSCRAP is the only pre-consumer perspective on the issue. We have to think more about what to do about pre-consumer waste as well.
@no_kill_mag What IS preconsumer textilewaste? Rachel from @fab_scrap explains! #foundatfabscrap #upcycling #downcycling #textilerecycling
♬ original sound – NKM Editor KatyaNYC – NKM Editor KatyaNYC
While efforts like FABSCRAP help manage waste, the real solution is for companies to produce less from the start. What are your thoughts on this?
FABSCRAP is working with brands at the raw materials level, advising about blends, polyester, and the general circularity of the raw material. When brands understand what things are and what we are putting into the world, they can design with less waste and more circularity.
Our mission is to end commercial textile waste. That is within our scope and what we are trying to achieve. Once people learn what is happening behind the scenes, they might change their ways—but they’ll definitely think twice.
Do you know if the volume of goods collected at FABSCRAP has increased or decreased since the push for more sustainable fashion? Do you see brands decreasing their overproduction of materials, or are they donating as much, if not more, than ever?
We can’t accurately conclude whether waste collection helps companies reduce their original waste. It takes about ten years of data to establish a trend (aka potential reduction). Furthermore, we have over 800 active clients, and they all operate differently, so we would have 800 different answers to this question unless we did a research study. Lastly, receiving more material from a brand doesn’t necessarily mean they are creating more waste – we can only conclude that they are sending more material to FABSCRAP.
We offer educational presentations to teach design teams about their waste streams and how to maximize diversion through our services. Brands tend to build stronger relationships with FABSCRAP over time, investing more in our program/volunteering/partnership.
What do you tell people regarding buying new clothes – don’t do it?
I always say give yourself grace. The sustainable journey is not linear – mistakes will be made, values will be revealed, and the nuance of “sustainability” is ever changing. I tell people to find a community (or two) to help them discover their values and resources and engage in supportive discussion to keep trying despite it all. We are swimming upstream, operating in a linear system – being circular can be very challenging. The last thing we need is strict guidelines at the most extreme level of circularity, as this hinders newcomers, those who are curious, and anyone else wanting to make a change. Circular fashion looks different for everybody – give yourself and others grace through this life-long journey.
Donate to FABSCRAP and get their 2025 event calendar!
Visit FABSCRAP here and follow them on instagram.
–Anne Elizabeth Whiting
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