When processing end-of-life garments, Mi Hub’s priorities are brand protection and zero to landfill.
Mi Hub’s returns processing facility is located in an access controlled building, monitored by CCTV. Our return’s team are trained to grade our customer’s returns, identifying wearable products which can go back into stock.
All end-of-life garments will be assessed based on fabric composition and contamination, at our chosen recycling facility, to determine their designated recycling route. All branded or brand-recognisable product are shredded, this shredding process makes the product unrecognisable in terms of its brand identity.
Mixed fibre textiles predominately go into insulation and sewer linings, but those with a natural fibre content can be used in mattresses as a filling component.
Our recycling partner works closely with UK mills to find suitable solutions for these waste streams and where UK solutions are not available nearshore options are also considered.
Contaminated products, contaminated by stains or smell, are not a suitable product for any of the solutions above and is diverted from landfill to a waste to energy plant, the energy from the incineration process is recovered.
A solution for the recycling of 100% polyester garments is in the final stages of development within the UK and Mi Hub have supported the founders with product for their lab-based trials. This solution allows for polyester products to be recycled into rPet pellets which can be used to create recycled polyester for a truly circular solution when this process has been up-scaled into a commercial solution.