Transforming Waste into Opportunity: Unlocking the Potential of End-of-Life Linens

From hotels to healthcare, almost every commercial business generates a significant amount of textile waste. But what happens to these linens once their lifespan comes to an end? Unfortunately, the default has been to toss them into landfill, adding to the mounting waste crisis that exacerbates pollution, consumes precious resources, and releases harmful greenhouse gas emissions. It’s time for businesses which frequently dispose of linens, to align their use of these materials with their commitments to sustainability.

Cutting textile waste starts with enhancing linen longevity. Oxwash’s sustainable laundry solutions have a fraction of the environmental footprint of traditional commercial laundries while preserving linens for as long as possible. At their end-of-life, we work together with our partners to find creative and practical uses for linens, diverting them from landfill and helping businesses make a positive impact.

Oxwash’s Innovative Laundry Processes

Commercial laundry is highly energy intensive, generating a footprint of 8.8 megatons of CO2e. It contributes to microfibre pollution and wastes vast amounts of water. But achieving the highest standard of hygiene doesn’t have to come with this toll on our planet.

Oxwash is a pioneer in innovative laundry processes, harnessing advanced, environmentally-friendly technologies such as ozone cleaning to sanitise and rejuvenate linens. These techniques - along with our use of gentle, biodegradable detergents - improve linen longevity, keeping linens at their highest quality for longer.

When they’re no longer fit for use in a commercial setting, we repurpose these linens in creative ways - tackling textile waste on all fronts.

Linen Recycling Gets us Closer to a Circular Economy

Oxwash’s linen recycling initiatives transform these materials into something new. Our partner, sustainable fashion brand Hermit London, turns end-of-life bed linens - which would otherwise be destined for landfill - into luxury pyjama sets. All linens are given a second life, even those which are stained or damaged.

"Our partnership with Oxwash has been instrumental in helping us on our mission to save as much luxury hotel bed linen as possible and give it a new life”- Ella, Founder & CEO, Hermit London

By taking these steps to close the loop, Oxwash and our partners are playing a pivotal role in advancing the circular economy. In contrast to the all-too-common ‘take, make waste’ model, in a circular economy, materials are kept in circulation for as long as possible, and waste and pollution are designed out. Linen repurposing also brings business benefits, generating cost savings for participants and creating new job opportunities.

Linen Longevity Through Zero-Waste Construction Techniques

Fashion company Hermit London’s unique approach turns one double bedsheet into one set of pyjamas - a satisfying symmetry. It has also created modular clothing garments, which can be easily taken apart and remade into something new, their versatility mirroring the range of possibilities that exist for end-of-life linens.

The company wastes nothing in the production process, ensuring that every inch of the linens continues to serve a purpose. The seams of the sheets are recreated into ties and fastenings, with offcuts also sold as hair scrunchies. Inevitably, some offcuts will be too small, and these are recycled by Fibrelab - a circular textile recycling service that makes new products from waste fibres.

Conclusion: Sustainability at Every Step

If businesses hope to help bring about a greener future, they need to prioritise sustainability at every step along their supply chains. For those who rely heavily on linens, Oxwash’s environmentally-friendly commercial laundry services will drastically reduce their impact on our planet as well as prolong their linens’ lifespan.

But we also go one step further. By viewing end-of-life linens not as waste, but as the start of a new opportunity, we’re doing our bit to bring the world closer to a truly sustainable and circular economy.