Guide to Textile Recyclers and Repurposers in Michigan

Michigan Sustainable Business Forum often receives requests from members and other business and community leaders seeking resources for the recycling of pre-consumer textiles that are not appropriate for resale or donation. 

Although donation centers such as Goodwill or Salvation Army accept textiles for resale and reuse, this is not a viable disposal pathway for certain post-industrial and pre-consumer waste.  There are many scenarios in which textiles cannot be resold and are mechanically recycled instead, such as: 

• Requirement to destroy product due to brand integrity concerns
• Requirement to shred public safety uniforms 
• Misprinted merchandise or overstock
• Product lacks resale value or is not accepted by resellers
• Lack of resale market for items like printed signs, flags, or sails
• Concern that donated textiles will be shipped overseas to secondhand markets

To overcome these barriers and support a more circular textile economy, this guide serves as a business directory for Michigan-based businesses that repurpose or recycle textile waste (collectively referred to as “recyclers”).  Each recycler in this guide is able to guarantee that branded materials will not be resold, redistributed through donation centers, shipped to export markets, burned for fuel, or landfilled.