Caritas Luxembourg has announced it is launching Luxembourg Upcycling Initiative (LUI) with the support of Luxembourg’s Ministry of Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development.
The project aims to create new, useful objects using material from professional uniforms that are no longer used, to reduce CO2 emissions and integrate resources that can still be used into the circular economy.
In Luxembourg, according to a study by Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) on decarbonisation, the purchase of clothing represents 621 kg of CO2 equivalent per year and per person, i.e. the category of consumer goods generating the most CO2 equivalent, far ahead of furniture (332 kg), hygiene (322 kg) and electronics and technologies (259 kg).
In a first step, the carbon footprint of the life cycle of the uniforms will be assessed and possible partners will be identified and contacted (the army, the police, the firefighters, Post Luxembourg, private companies, etc.). Uniforms that are no longer worn will be recovered to give them a second life by using them as raw material for other textile products. Part of the project will allow the creation of jobs and the training of people in social integration in the profession of fashion designer and therefore in the revaluation of textiles. At the end of the project, prototypes allowing maximum reinvestment of raw materials and minimising waste production will be presented.
By fighting climate change at national level and favouring sustainable consumption in the textile sector, Caritas Luxembourg aims to act for social inclusion in Luxembourg, and to contribute to limiting CO2 emissions to reduce the impact of our fashion’s consumption at the national level.
