ABOUT

Background:
Two tonnes of clothing is purchased in the UK every single minute, with £140 million worth of it dumped in landfill every year. The Cotton Council International wanted to turn this big problem into a bigger solution.

Solution:
Introducing: Cotton Lives On, an initiative whose purpose it is to extend the life of cotton in a meaningful way. With the help of their suppliers and a closed loop supply chain, they recycle worn, faulty and deadstock cotton - keeping it out of landfill and transforming it into roll mats that are then donated to Shelter and the Single Homeless Project to help people experiencing homelessness.

We created a series of compelling films that outlined the problems of both landfill and homelessness, highlighting how businesses could help tackle both by donating their cottons. Filming with Cotton Incorporated’s different partners across the UK and France, we captured the journey of reprocessing cotton and its transformation into roll mats. The films were housed on the website as well as sent to prospective brand partners, and the result was an emotive, rallying cry that championed the power of recycling cotton.

Results:
This grassroots campaign has massively outperformed initial expectations. To date, we have some of the UK’s biggest brands and retailers from the high street signed up to the Cotton Lives On programme, with dozens more lined up to join them.

Our current list of participating retailers.
Anthropologie, Hush, Charles Tyrwhitt, Fiorucci, L’estrange, Whistles, Phase Eight, Hobbs, Y.O.U underwear, Me & Em, Frugi