A Second Life for Old Tights
As many as 8 billion pairs of tights are produced every year, to be worn a few times and discarded. Even if you want to dispose of them responsibly, it's very hard to do so. In order to recycle an old pair of tights, the fibres (polyamide and elastane) need to be separated. At the moment this technology isn’t available except on an industrial scale, which means most old hosiery ends up in landfills. Tights in landfills biodegrade into plastic fragments that leach into waterways.
We’re proud to stock Swedish Stockings, who make all of their beautiful socks and tights from recycled yarn, which can in turn be recycled.
They collect old tights and grind them down to make a filler material that can be used in industrial fibreglass tanks. These tanks are hard-wearing and last for decades. Not exactly glamorous, but certainly sustainable!
Swedish Stockings have even created a limited edition collection of furniture made from old tights, in collaboration with furniture designer Gustaf Westman. The tables contain 80 to 350 pairs of tights that have been diverted from landfill.
Unfortunately it’s not as simple as just dropping off your old tights to your local recycling centre, but you can send them back to Swedish Stockings, who will give you a discount off your next purchase in return. Find out more at https://swedishstockings.com/pages/recycling-club