SustainU, a producer of university related clothing using fabrics made from 100 percent recycled materials made in the USA has launched its “oneSHIRT” initiative, a national drive to collect used clothing to be reused or recycled. They have partnered with over 110 universities and colleges to organize and recruit thousands of campus volunteers who will head into their communities on Monday, February 21 to tell residents and businesses about the drive, and encourage them to gather any used, unwanted clothing for pick up on Wednesday, February 23. SustainU is working with Goodwill Industries in select areas to take the clothing and either repurpose it for use, or send it along for recycling.
“Most people don’t realize that approximately 68 pounds of clothing per person is thrown away in the United States every year,” states Chris Yura, founder and CEO of SustainU. “That amounts to about 10 percent of all the waste in landfills today. Through the oneSHIRT drive, we’re hoping to collect over 120 tons – about 240,000 pounds – of clothing that would otherwise end up in the trash.”
The campaign has joined forces with Nuru International to raise money in the fight against extreme poverty. All proceeds from the sale of the official oneShirt will go towards this effort.