SWACO is the presenting sponsor for Fashion Week Columbus’ Recycled Runway event which challenges fashion design students to create garments using textiles which would otherwise be sent to the landfill. SWACO’s sponsorship of this event is part of Greenprint: For a Sustainable Future, which prioritizes the formation of new partnerships in order to create outlets and opportunities to capture and divert hard to recycle materials, including textiles.
In central Ohio, textiles are a growing waste stream, equating to 46,000 tons annually, or 4% of all materials sent to the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill each year.
Reusing, upcycling and recycling textiles reduces landfill waste and avoids the need for new raw materials, saving natural resources and minimizing pollution. Textile recycling also creates jobs and promotes a more circular economy in which materials are kept in circulation for as long as possible.
Launched in 2021, Recycled Runway challenges teams to design garments using packaging and fabric scraps and unconventional textiles instead of sending them to the landfill. Each look is paired with hair and makeup artistry by students from Nurtur Aveda Institutes, curated to amplify the vision behind every design.
“SWACO is proud to once again support Fashion Week Columbus and the Recycled Runway event,” said Joe Lombardi, SWACO’s Executive Director. “We are committed to supporting the artists, designers, creators and many, many innovators in central Ohio who are making headway to reduce textile waste. Bravo!”
According to their website, Fashion Week Columbus is the flagship program of the Columbus Fashion Council. Since 2010, they’ve awarded more than $65,000 in scholarships to fashion students from CCAD and other Central Ohio schools. Events like Recycled Runway offer real-world platforms for emerging talent to push creative boundaries and lead with purpose.
Strategic sponsorships are just one of several priorities included in Greenprint to address textile waste and increase diversion of these hard to recycle items.
In August, SWACO completed an “end of life” recycling pilot during which clothing that couldn’t be donated was collected and shipped to the largest textile recycling company in the United States to become acoustic insulation in automobiles and thermal insulation in construction materials among other products. With the help of local communities and partners like Goodwill Columbus and Circular Thrift, the pilot collected around 15,000 pounds of clothing and a full analysis of the pilot results will be undertaken and the information will be used by SWACO to assess the cost, ease and benefits of providing similar opportunities in the future.
Earlier in 2025, SWACO provided a grant to Goodwill Columbus for their Do Good campaign which incentivizes the donation of clothing and encourages residents to shop secondhand.
To learn more about Greenprint, download the one-pager here.
Recycled Runway is free and open to the public. The event will be held on Wednesday, September 17 from 6-9 pm at Raven Cbus (35 E. Gay St., Columbus).
