Unreasonable Impact | Rescuing Old Clothes From Landfills by Turning Them Into New Fabric and Fuel
by Brittany Lane
Originally posted on Unreasonable Impact, created with Barclays
Jeplan envisions a circular world in which we take all used or unwanted personal belongings, recycle the materials, and then sell them as new products. Starting with cotton and polyester, this company is reimagining waste disposal, which reduces the use of petroleum and diminishes carbon emissions. Based in Japan, Jeplan has established collection points around the country in collaboration with major retail and apparel brands to gather discarded clothes. Then, Jeplan sells the final products back to these brands and their consumers.
Soon, Jeplan could be recycling 10 percent of the entire world’s clothes. Masaki Takao, co-founder and CEO of Jeplan, shares why he cares about recycling old clothes and one of his proudest moments.
What inspired you to start this company?
Our co-founder Michihiko Iwamoto had been in the textile trading industry for over 20 years, and he always faced the reality of tons of production waste and discarded clothing that was sent to landfills.
