From waste to worth: How ImpacTex is tackling the textile problem

Pictured above: Jeff and Carol Vollebregt.

From just one carton of discarded clothing to more than 550 tonnes of textile waste diverted from landfill, Auckland-based ImpacTex is redefining how New Zealand tackles fashion waste. Now, the award-winning recycler is scaling up, turning textile waste into opportunity through innovation, circular thinking and Kiwi ingenuity.

When Auckland-based textile recycling business ImpacTex opened its doors in January 2022, Co-founder and CEO Jeff Vollebregt received just one carton containing 11 kilograms of discarded clothing for the month. Since then the business has diverted more than 550 tonnes of textile waste from landfill. Now ImpacTex is looking to scale its operations here and extend overseas.

The business tackles New Zealand’s textile waste through a three-pronged approach: collecting end-of-life garments from businesses, donating wearable items to charities and transforming the rest into innovative recycled products.

Jeff says the volume of textile waste he had seen first-hand in the fashion industry was “astronomical”. His experience in global logistics with DHL and textile manufacturing with TAL Group, in Hong Kong, convinced him there had to be a better solution than sending waste to landfill or overseas.

“When you ship our textile waste overseas there’s no traceability or guarantee about where it goes and you’re increasing your carbon footprint,” says Jeff

“We’re big believers that textile waste created in New Zealand should be handled in New Zealand using local innovators and some Kiwi elbow grease.”

Estimates suggest between 100,000 and 220,000 tonnes of textile and clothing waste enters New Zealand landfills annually, with the commonly cited figure of 180,000 tonnes appearing in industry reports and media coverage.

A complete solution

ImpacTex makes textile recycling accessible for businesses through multiple collection methods. In Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga, branded bins appear in retail stores including AS Colour, Kathmandu, Icebreaker and Macpac. Dozens of corporate clients of all sizes across 140 locations use the ImpacTex textile waste rental bin scheme, similar to skip bins.

Once collected, textiles follow one of two paths. Wearable, non-branded items – about 40% of consumer donations – go to charity and social organisations. Everything else is recycled. To date, ImpacTex has donated more than 60,000 garments and homewares to local communities and families in need.

“Our Social Partnerships programme is a big part of our business and important,” Jeff emphasises.

Behind the scenes, the operation is labour-intensive. A team of five full-time staff and four casual workers sorts, grades and identifies the suitable end-of-life channel for each item.

Buttons, zips and branding are manually removed from garments being sent to recycling. The business achieves a 95% recovery rate, though some materials remain problematic. While there is a small market for used zips, the business is looking for other ways to keep them out of landfill.

The sort process prioritises finding items suitable for resale, providing charities with clean, quality clothing they can sell or distribute. When Woolworths rebranded from Countdown, ImpacTex added embroidered patches to 500 chiller jackets, covering the old branding so the garments could be donated rather than destroyed.

Security-conscious clients like DHL, Air New Zealand and major banks rely on ImpacTex’s chain-of-custody protocols to ensure branded uniforms are properly decommissioned and do not reach the wrong hands.

Innovation from necessity

The flagship product driving ImpacTex’s commercial success is Retex, a rigid panel made from recycled textiles. The product was developed in partnership with Textile Products NZ and ImpacTex is an authorised distributor. The panels can be used in applications ranging from signage and acoustic panels to packaging and merchandising displays. The panels are 100% recyclable, offering a more sustainable alternative to single-use products.

A focus on product development is vital to ImpacTex’s approach to textile recycling.

“There’s a reason no one wants to do what we do here. It’s very manual and without valuable end products, the economics simply don’t work in New Zealand’s small market.”

Jeff says innovation is central to business strategy. ImpacTex currently has five recycling solutions at various stages of development.

“To make a real impact, you have to scale. Growth is what enables you to do more and reach further — and that takes continual investment. You can’t achieve that by staying small. Scale is what attracts the resources and opportunities to drive real change.”

ImpacTex’s short-term goals include establishing operations in the South Island, while longer-term ambitions extend to international markets.

The business is also exploring automation, though the decommissioning process remains a challenge. ImpacTex uses fabric scanning technology developed in Aotearoa New Zealand, but automating the manual work of removing zips, buttons and branding is “the bottleneck we’re working to overcome utilising Kiwi innovation and technology”.

ImpacTex was recently awarded a special one-off Judges Commendation from Mindful Fashion for Circular Business Leadership. Mindful Fashion NZ is a non-profit organisation leading the shift to a circular fashion economy in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Tough start

Reflecting on the time the business has been operating, Jeff says the Covid 19 pandemic both inspired and nearly derailed plans. Lockdowns prompted wardrobe cleanouts across the country, overwhelming charity stores with donations. Jeff saw the potential for a solution but faced immediate challenges. After preparing to open in July 2021, Auckland’s lockdown delayed the start by almost six months.

“It’s been a real challenging four years to start any business.  We’re proud of the meaningful progress we’ve made and the foundations we’ve built for what comes next.”

The business is entirely self-funded by Jeff and his wife Carol, together with two other founders.

“We’re excited by what we’ve been able to build in a really short time. Now we’re looking at scaling to make a bigger impact.”

ImpacTex is part of the Sustainable Business Network and is in the Next list of innovators, entrepreneurs, projects and organisations that are finalists in the 2025 Sustainable Business Awards.