“If you are really thankful, what do you do? You share.” – W. Clement Stone
November is a time of giving thanks and being grateful for everything we’ve been afforded in life. When I think about this quote from Mr. Stone, I think about the work of our members, for-profit companies who collect and reuse, recycle or repurpose textiles (any materials made out of interlacing fibers), and the work of everyday people who are committed to reducing our globe’s textile waste consumption habits.
Committed to the “green” way of life, our SMART members greatly impact our environment, provide economic stimulus, create jobs, increase charitable funding and stimulate affordable clothing markets in the United States. In the spirit of Mr. Stone and being thankful, here are some fast facts I’d love to share with you about SMART:
• SMART members recycle 25% of America’s post-consumer textile waste
• SMART members keep approximately 1 BILLION pounds from landfills each year (930 million lbs. to be exact)
• SMART members collect hundreds of millions of dollars worth of salvage annually from charities, cities, the apparel industry and consumers which reduces greenhouse gases equivalent to removing 1 million cars from America’s highways
• SMART members employ approximately 20,000 people worldwide
Impressive, right? Some might also be wondering how the average consumer is working to impact our global consumption of textiles. You see, it happens most of the time right before our eyes without even thinking twice! That craft you completed last month with the kids made out of an old t-shirt? That bag of clothes your dropped off at your local charity or clothing recycling bin? That old towel you cut up into rags to use for cleaning around the house? All of these are common activities that we do often in our homes, and all of them help make an impact on the textile waste stream!
As you can see, at SMART we’re all about improving our environment one textile at a time. We invite you to learn more about our association and the work of our members here. You can also visit us on Facebook and Twitter for weekly craft ideas and other great articles and information to help get yourself up-to-speed on all things textile.
