Member spotlight: Roberts Recycling offers customer returns management and take-back schemes to global brands
11/02/2025
UKFT member Roberts Recycling is a family-run UK textile recycler, processor and exporter company offering customer returns management and take-back schemes to global fashion brands. Find out more below.
UKFT member Roberts Recycling is a UK textile recycler, processor and exporter that collects, sorts, and resells fashion waste. The family-run business gives 800 tons of textiles a second chance each month. It helps global brands with customer returns and overstock management, take-back schemes, and community clothing collection and distribution.
By keeping them in circulation for longer and recycling them at their end of life, Roberts Recycling can considerably reduce the carbon footprint of unwanted textiles. Its contribution to building a more circular fashion and textile supply chain through sustainable textile solutions earned the company the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise in 2019 and 2022.
Roberts Recycling said: “Each month, we process unsold and returned stock from over 100 of the UK’s leading brands. Often known as ‘Jobber stock’, these items are managed responsibly according to retailer specifications, preventing unnecessary waste.”
The company works with major UK retailers, introducing take-back programmes in-store and online. This allows customers to access ways to recycle unwanted clothing and footwear instead of discarding them.
Roberts Recycling also collaborates with charities and community organisations: “With over a decade of experience, we provide industry-leading textile recycling for charities and community organisations. As members of the Fundraising Regulator, the Charity Retail Association, and the Textile Recyclers Association, we ensure transparency and ethical practices in all our initiatives.”
New projects: Engaging future generations and repurposing end-of-life textiles
Roberts Recycling recently introduced a programme aiming to educate schools in England and Wales. Roberts Recycling said: “Schools in our collection network raise funds from their recycling collection efforts while students learn about the environmental impact of textile waste.”
The company is also doing work around repurposing end-of-life textiles: “To extend the life of non-rewearable textiles we have developed Purpose-Driven Products items, created in-house from waste textiles. From donating a punch bag to a community boxing gym, to installing an eco-friendly gym floor at our HQ made from shredded end-of-life footwear, these projects showcase how innovation can prevent waste and support local causes.”
Accelerating textile recycling through collaborations
The recycling company is firmly committed to landfill diversion and making a lasting impact on the environment and local communities. To keep textiles out of landfill for longer, the company has collaborated with several organisations.
Eslando – Advancing Fibre-to-Fibre Recycling
“We have partnered with Eslando, a circular technology company dedicated to accelerating textile recycling. Their mission is to match the right waste with the right recycler, ensuring more textiles are repurposed into new materials rather than ending up in landfill. Together, we are working on innovative solutions to push fibre-to-fibre recycling forward.”
Birl – Transforming Resale & Reuse
“Our collaboration with Birl is revolutionising how fashion brands approach circularity. Birl’s resale platform offers seamless, single-button resale technology, making it easier for brands, retailers, charities, and councils to keep garments in circulation. This partnership helps reduce textile waste while creating more opportunities for second-hand fashion.”
Textile Transformations – Upcycling for Communities
“In partnership with Make CIC, we have launched Textile Transformations, a series of free workshops designed to promote sustainability through creative upcycling. These sessions help participants develop new skills, connect with others, and transform textile waste into meaningful products, tackling both waste reduction and social isolation.”
Find out more about Roberts Recycling online:
Paul Roberts, Director at Roberts Recycling, on becoming a member of UKFT:
“We are proud to join UKFT and be part of this reputable network. Collaborating with industry leaders strengthens our commitment to driving sustainability and innovation in the textile industry, accelerating meaningful change in recycling, reuse, and responsible production.”
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