NZ Fashion Industry Kicks Carbon to the Curb With New Circularity Scheme
- Words by Peppermint
New Zealand’s fashion folk are doing the Earth a solid and taking a huge leap into the future, tackling the country’s fashion and textile industry waste issue with a new industry designed scheme.
Recognising that textile waste is one of the powerhouse island’s fastest growing waste streams – responsible for more than 220,000 tonnes of it ending up in landfills each year – the Textile Product Stewardship Scheme is aimed at “addressing climate change and improving how clothes are brought to market and managed at end-of-use”.
According to Usedfully, a membership program established in 2016 and responsible for the Textile Stewardship Project, New Zealand is the largest producer of waste per capita and has the lowest recycling rates in the OECD. Addressing the recycling infrastructure gap across all industries is key to changing this, according to Infrastructure NZ.
“We have a responsibility to take local action to support a more sustainable, decarbonised industry. For every 10,000 tonnes of recovered textile resources we can generate about 300 new jobs in the low carbon circular economy, creating economic opportunity onshore in Aotearoa,” says project lead Peter Thompson, CEO of Usedfully.
For every 10,000 tonnes of recovered textile resources we can generate about 300 new jobs in the low carbon circular economy, creating economic opportunity onshore in Aotearoa.
The recently launched stage two (“the doing phase”) of the Project follows a series of workshops, working groups and industry consultation, which resulted in a list of industry recommendations delivered to the NZ government in 2021 – and brings together players such as Usedfully, uniform suppliers Alsco NZ and Deane Apparel, Barkers Clothing and the Wellington City Council.
Strategies to be implemented include small levies on textile products brought to market and co-investment in regional circular infrastructure as well as four other key actions detailed in the recommendations.
The project is overseen by an advisory group composed of fashion and circular economy experts including Emma Wallace, head of operations at Kowtow; Saeid Baroutain from University of Auckland’s Sustainable Resource Recovery Programme and James Stonyer, Deane Apparel’s commercial manager among others.
Co-designed by industry and the government under what’s known as a “Product Stewardship model”, a key component of the 2008 Waste Minimisation Act, this new scheme will help the market transition from carbon intensive, linear production to circular models. It will also help businesses face a new “make it, take it demand and the expectation that customers can return garments at their end-of-use stage”.
“Alsco’s New Zealand textile rental operation needs to dispose of more than 200 tonnes of cottons and polycottons annually, so this project enables us to do something positive about it by co-designing a system for the reuse of these valuable resources onshore in New Zealand,” says Gavin Smith, Alsco NZ’s business and product development manager.
As part of the project, any organisation that produces, supplies or uses clothing or textiles and wants to make tangible positive impact can join the Textile Reuse Programme or register their interest in the Product Stewardship Project on the Textile Reuse Programme website.
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“My piece of advice for makers and designers? Run your own race… make sure your key decisions stay anchored in your brand’s core beliefs.”
- Bec Bligh
Quick show of hands: who’s opened a water bottle expecting a refreshing sip… and instead been greeted by the unmistakable whiff of uh-oh?
Because for something that follows us everywhere (desk, car, hikes, yoga…), the humble drink bottle is strangely prone to becoming a science experiment. Hard-to-clean corners and gaskets. Mystery smells. Bec Bligh and her husband Tim know it well. A six-month sailing trip along the Queensland coast left them with a lifetime of memories and one stubborn annoyance: mouldy water bottles they couldn’t properly clean.
So they did something about it.
Enter @EverVessel. Thoughtfully designed borosilicate glass and stainless steel bottles that keep things beautifully simple: durable materials, wide openings, easy-to-clean parts and none of the techy gimmicks that tend to age badly. Turns out simplicity, done well, is pretty powerful stuff. (Their many design awards agree!)
And lately they’ve added a little extra delight: the Artist Series, where creatives like Paola Castro, Ben Miners and Martin Thompson transform these everyday companions into tiny travelling artworks. There are more colabs in the works, too: hydration, but make it joyful! 🎨💧
We chatted with Bec about the sailing trip that started it all, the philosophy behind Ever Vessel, and why the most sustainable product is often just the one you keep using.
Tap the link in our bio to read the full conversation. 🚰
#EverVessel #ReusableWaterBottle
Pull up a chair… there’s room at this table!
For the first time, Feast for Freedom is bringing people together for a spectacular long-table dinner as part of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival.
A Longer Table is exactly what it sounds like: one beautiful shared table inside the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (@Asrc1), piled with generous dishes inspired by this year’s hero cooks, Noha and Nige.
From 6 to 9pm on Wednesday, 25 March, this is what you can expect:
🍽 A three-course shared feast
🍷 Matched drinks
🎶 Live entertainment
✨ A room full of good humans
Your ticket doesn’t just buy you a delicious dinner. It supports the ASRC’s vital work and helps create a fairer future for people seeking asylum.
Seats are limited, and long tables have a way of filling up quickly – head to @MelbFoodAndWine’s website to book now: feastforfreedom.org.au/mfwf
#FeastForFreedom #MelbourneFoodAndWineFestival #LongTableDinner #FoodForChange
Sew versatile! 🪡
Another great make from Lisa from @SunnySewsEveryday:
My #PeppermintWaratahWrapDress is finished and I’m so proud of it. It has been designed not to flap open and flash your pants in the wind, so I feel confident it will be a great wheelchair or standing dress in English weather.
#PeppermintPatterns #WrapDress #WrapDressPattern
Frame your face with the Peppermint Bucket Hat!
Stay safe and stylish in the sun with your very own self-sewn and self-drafted wide-brimmed bucket hat. This beginner-friendly sew is perfect for a sunny day. Get out your pencils – this pattern is created using equations and maths!
This DIY project was featured in Issue 53 and now you can access it for the lovely low price of only $5.
Sun-safe chic is always in style. ☀️
Find it via the link in our bio!
Photos: @KelleySheenan
#PeppermintPatterns #PeppermintBucketHat #BucketHat #BucketHatPattern #DIY
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The Peppermint Myrtle Shift Dress is a beginner-friendly make with a few special details based on the ever-stylish shift shape – the perfect dress you need in your wardrobe right now!
Myrtle cuts above the knee with options to customise the length. Don’t think she’s reserved for hot weather either: try a heavier-weight fabric to turn your Myrtle into a pinafore-style garment for layering.
For our fabrics we chose two from our lovely sewing partner @Karmme_Apparel – the bold Rottnest Stripes in a lightweight, soft-drape cotton, and the quality linen in the handpainted Mexico Collection.
Get making the Myrtle – the only question is, can you stop at just one?
Link in bio 🪡
Fabric: @Karmme_Apparel
Sewist: @Laura_The_Maker
Photos: @KelleySheenan
Models: @SerahSews and @Pins_And_Tonic
Location: @ShareTheDignityAustralia
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It’s time to Feast!
Some recipes travel a long way before they land on your table to delight your taste buds. This year’s Feast for Freedom invites us to gather our friends, cook something delectable and raise funds for the incredible work of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (@Asrc1) while we’re at it.
The 2026 Feast features recipes shared by two remarkable cooks: Noha, who brought the flavours of Palestine with her when she arrived in Australia, and Nige, a Sri-Lankan Tamil cook whose journey with food began in the most unexpected of places.
You can host your own Feast up until 30 April – simply register online and get planning! Host a dinner, organise a workplace lunch, or gather your community… However you do it, the idea is simple: cook, connect and celebrate the cultures and stories that shape Australia.
Want to find out more? Head to the link in bio to meet Noha and Nige, learn more about their stories, and discover a delicious recipe to try.
#FeastForFreedom #PeppermintMagazine #FoodForGood #ASRC
