AFI Branding Hits a Sustainability Milestone

AFI Branding has hit a sustainability milestone by diverting more than 250 tonnes of fabric from landfill by partnering with Coritex textile and media print specialists and circular industry leaders Circular Centre and their Circular Textile Waste Service.

"It's a proud day at AFI to know we've been able to change our processes to reduce our footprint on such a scale. Every month, we print more than 15,000m2 of fabric for retail, events and exhibition industries, and we recognise we have a responsibility to where that fabric ends up.  In 2019, we launched the first fabric takeback scheme in the signage industry – 'be sustainable' to a great response.  We are excited to continue shaping the future of textile flow in Australia," says Glenn Watson, Managing Director of AFI Branding.

Glenn says of the new opportunities; "Being sustainable can sometimes be unfairly seen as expensive or adding more complexity to business processes. But authentic sustainability partnerships are about closing the loop – providing what one company perceives as 'waste' as a valuable raw material to others. The key is finding the right partners, and while that takes time and commitment, it's never been more important."

The Circular Centre is creating a range of innovative solutions for various AFI Branding signage types. "Taking back signage is trickier than you imagine. Like clothing, there are a variety of textiles and finishes plus take into consideration what's printed on them, so to reuse, redesign and repurpose these resources into other products is an exciting step," says Alison Jose, Director of Circular Centre. 

One recent initiative that has significantly contributed to AFI Branding's 250 tonne milestone is Circular Centre's partnership with Sealy, where specific fabrics are sent to Queensland for use as raw materials in Australian mattress products. This initiative, supported by a Circulate grant from NSW Environment Protection Authority Waste Less Recycle More, funded from the waste levy supporting aspects of the Circular Textile Waste Service.

"Our 2022 plans include an innovative Circular ReDesign Competition for accessories and interior designers. When product designers get involved, we see incredible resource innovations for textile waste redesign. In fact, next week, we announce the winners of our Circular Denim Redesign Competition collaboration with General Pants Co. who collected over 1000 pairs of unwanted denim which we gave out to fashion designers to re-imagine, and the results are astounding," says Jose.