Martin Wäg (Kastner & Öhler) and Hans Roth (Saubermacher) present recycled textile products in front of banners bearing the Kastner & Öhler and Saubermacher logos. The ‘Stoff für die Zukunft’ (Fabric for the Future) initiative promotes the recycling of textiles to reduce waste.

25. February 2025

A tonne of fabric for the future: recycling initiative for textile waste by Kastner & Öhler and Saubermacher at 16 locations across Austria

According to the EU textile strategy, textile waste must now be collected separately in order to make it easier to recycle in the future.. Textile recycling is still in its infancy. That is why the Austrian fashion and sports retailer Kastner & Öhler, together with Saubermacher, has launched a recycling initiative for non-wearable items. Öhler, together with Saubermacher, have launched a recycling initiative for non-wearable textiles and have already collected a tonne to give them a future-proof use.and have already collected a tonne to ensure that they are recycled in a future-proof, material-efficient manner. Support for this comes from the City of Graz Environment Agency, the Graz Holding and the waste management associations from Styria, Lower Austria and Burgenland. Lower Austria and Burgenland.

Separate collection for climate protection

The clothes we wear leave their mark. When broken old clothes are carelessly thrown into the rubbish, valuable resources are wasted.The same applies to household and home textiles. These currently account for 40 percent of textile waste in Austria. In keeping with the spirit of ‘zero waste’, Saubermacher and the fashion and sports retailers have therefore undertaken not to accept non-recyclable and non-returnable packaging.Kastner & Öhler have therefore committed to not accepting any non-reusable and worn-out textiles of any kind. Together, they launched the recycling initiative ‘Stoff für die Zukunft’ (Material for the Future) in September 2024 and have since encouraged Ös-ter-to donate old textiles. The aim is to collect used textiles separately in a container in specially selected containers andselected boxes and oilers, as well as gigasport affiliates in Styria, Lower Austria, Upper Austria and Burgenland, so that it can be sorted and recycled.

For anyone who does not have a ‘Fabric for the Future’ container or a comparable recycling facility nearby to dispose of their old clothes,nearby to dispose of their broken old clothes, the following still applies: Please dispose of them in the residual waste. Saubermacher is working hard on new solutions as part of its research and development activities. The ‘Material for the Future’ project is contributing to this and promoting innovation for sustainable textile recycling.

Sorting textile waste: How recycling works

Anything that ends up in the ‘Fabric for the Future’ bin is sorted and returned to the cycle as a high-quality raw material. The textile waste is sent to one of the most modern sorting plants in Europe. There, highly trained personnel first sort all reusable textiles by hand. Rejected and damaged goods are transferred to a fully automated sorting facility. With the help of modern sensor and AI-supported technologies, it separates materials precisely according to material composition and colour.and colour. Impurities such as buttons or patches are reliably removed in a further process step. In the following processing steps, these are sorted and separated by colour to form pure recycling fibres, which are then reworked into new yarn and returned to the textile cycle.which are then processed into new yarn and returned to the textile cycle.

Anyone who disposes of their textile waste at the participating Kastner & Öhler and Gigasport storesthereby contributing to the creation of new garments or textiles from worn-out fabrics.

Martin Wäg (Kastner & Öhler) and Hans Roth (Saubermacher) stand in front of a textile recycling box labelled ‘Fabric for the future’ in a shop. They are holding discarded items of clothing to draw attention to the initiative for the separate collection of textile waste.

The recycling campaign ‘Stoff für die Zukunft’ (Material for the Future) by Kastner & Öhler and Saubermacher was launched to sustainably recycle textiles that are no longer wearable. The picture shows Martin Wäg and Hans Roth symbolically throwing textiles into one of the specially set up collection boxes. The aim of the initiative is to close the textile cycle and conserve resources.

With Textilrecycling to environmentally friendly production

Textile recycling, in which fibres are turned back into fibres and returned to the textile cycle, is a decisive step towards a more sustainable fashion industry.is a decisive step towards a more sustainable mode of production. Instead of consuming new resources, existing materials are reused, which not only saves valuable primary raw materials but also reduces waste.– this not only saves valuable primary raw materials, but also significantly reduces water and energy consumption. Recycled fibres often do not even need to be re-dyed, as they retain their original colour tones. This creates a closed cyclethat minimises environmental impact and shows that fashion can exist without high ecological costs.

Quote from Martin Wäg, CEO of Kastner & Öhler AG: “As an established fashion and sports retailer, we are well aware that the textile industry still has a long way to go in terms of environmental protection and resource conservation.that the textile industry still has a lot to do in terms of environmental protection and resource conservation. We too are trying to make our contribution here and are constantly striving to include sustainable brands in our range and to implement forward-looking environmental protection initiatives.and to support forward-looking environmental protection initiatives. For this reason, we are particularly proud to be making an important contribution to the environment with the “Fabric for the Future” project.

Hans Roth, Saubermacher founder: “Textile consumption in the EU has the fourth highest impact on the environment and climate change on average, after food, housing and furniture., housing and mobility. The ‘Stoff für die Zukunft’ (Fabric for the Future) initiative offers consumers the opportunity to actively contribute to a sustainable and circular economy.to actively contribute to sustainable and circular economic growth. We at Saubermacher are delighted to be working with Kastner & Öhler to promote the return, sorting and recycling of broken old textiles and thus contribute to a sustainable future.and thereby make a significant contribution to environmental protection.

Further information can be found at:

Textile recycling: Closing the fabric cycle – Saubermacher (DE) and K&Ö: Fabric for the future (DE)