Beyond the Hotel: Building a Circular Textile Network

How partnerships with hospitality textile providers can give retired textiles a new purpose

Hotels rely on high-quality textiles every day — from bed linen and towels to other hospitality textiles. Over time, even the best materials reach a point where they are no longer suitable for hotel use.

But being unsuitable for hospitality use does not mean that a textile has lost its value. This is where new kinds of partnerships can make a difference.

Beyond the hotel

At CLOTH’EL, we work not only with hotels, but also with hospitality textile service providers and textile rental companies. Through our collaborations with Vebra-Textil, DS Wash and Hotel Textil Service, we receive used hotel towels and bed linen that can be selected for a new purpose. These partnerships create a connection between the point where a textile leaves the hospitality system and the point where it can begin a new life.

From retired textile to new value

Not every textile is suitable for every new application. That is why the process begins with selection and assessment. We look at the material, its condition, construction and potential before deciding how it can be used.

Some textiles may become part of a CLOTH’EL collection. Others may be developed into products for a specific partner — for example, a cultural institution, hospitality business or brand.

The material does not have to return to the same organisation it came from. That is an important part of the circular model.

A network rather than a single destination

We believe the future of textile reuse depends on collaboration.

Textile service providers can offer a responsible route for materials that have reached the end of their hospitality use. CLOTH’EL can bring design, product development and craftsmanship to the next stage. And partner organisations can give the resulting products a new context and audience.

The result is a more flexible circular textile network, where materials can move between organisations and purposes instead of following a one-way path towards disposal.

Keeping value in use

Circularity is not only about avoiding waste. It is also about recognising that materials can still have value after their original purpose has ended.

By connecting hospitality textiles with new design opportunities, we can help keep that value in use for longer. One textile can have more than one destination. Do you have retired hospitality textiles?

Let's explore what they could become.