Debrand opens first US facility in Ohio for scalable textile sortation

Debrand, a Canadian next-life textile solutions and logistics provider, has announced the opening of its first facility in the United States.

Located in Columbus, Ohio, the new facility sees Debrand expand its innovative circular textile ecosystem in North America while strengthening its capacity to meet the growing demand for advanced, scalable textile sortation services.

The new 32,000-square-foot facility features state-of-the-art machinery and automated sortation technology to recycle textile waste, aiding apparel and footwear brands in shifting to more sustainable and circular models.

"The fashion industry is well beyond its tipping point with textile waste. The sheer volume of garments produced each year is becoming insurmountable, and there simply aren't enough regional solutions to address this issue at the scale required in North America," said Amelia Eleiter, CEO and co-founder at Debrand, in a statement.

"By expanding our footprint, we're making the investments necessary to move the industry towards a more responsible future. Not only will this help us address our current challenges with pre-and post-consumer waste, but we're also future-proofing so that once regulations pass and our clients are faced with new operational realities, we're ready to support them in lockstep to create the most impactful systems of sustainability and circularity possible."

The opening of the new facility comes more than a year and half after Debrand received a strategic investment from WM, the largest North America's largest environmental solutions provider. The first investment made by WM in textile recycling, the opening of the US facility further aligns the company with WM and its operations across North America.

The new facility is set to drive Debrand's continued growth and success within the fashion and apparel industry. The company, which also offers consulting services and guidance on circular textile strategies that include technical knowledge, reuse and recycling expertise, and next-life logistics, currently works with a number of leading brands from Everlane to Lululemon, Aritzia, and Canada Goose.

"We are thrilled that Debrand is opening a new facility in our hometown," said Meghan McLane, director of product sustainability at Victoria's Secret, in a statement. "As our partner, Debrand has been instrumental in advancing our end-of-life garment program. This facility is another step in building the infrastructure needed in North America to enable brands to move towards more circular models."

Over the past 18 months, Debrand has diverted more than 4.5 million pounds of textile waste from landfills. "Debrand's expansion is a promising evolution for advancing the fashion industry's textile circularity within the North American market, and the technologies­­­-including Digital Product Passports (DPPs) like EON's own Digital IDs that have been a crucial element in regulatory compliance in the EU," said Natasha Franck, CEO and founder at EON, in a statement. "Their expertise and insights were instrumental in shaping our own research for scaling circular systems.”