Sixone and Goodwill Industries of Alberta

Press Release & Media Availability

Edmonton, AB – Goodwill Industries of Alberta (“Goodwill”), a leader in environmental stewardship, is joining forces with Sixone Labs (“Sixone”), based out of Vancouver, British Columbia, an innovative technology company focused on textile-to-textile recycling. This strategic partnership is a significant step forward for the circular economy, and aims to redefine the future of textile recycling by integrating Sixone’s algorithmic recycling system into Goodwill’s donation operations, especially as we tackle polyester blend products donated to Goodwill from our wonderful donors throughout Alberta.

Through this collaboration, Goodwill will provide unsorted, post-consumer garments to Sixone to expand its molecular database and train its proprietary generative AI system for targeted recycling. Goodwill will use Sixone’s system to organize thousands of pounds of donated clothing that are unfit for resale, for Sixone to recycle and produce like-new polyester pellets for the textile industry. Currently, Goodwill diverts over 88% of all donated items from local landfills and this venture will further commit to reducing Goodwill’s environmental impact.

President and CEO of Goodwill Industries of Alberta, Dale Monaghan, highlights how this project aligns with Goodwill’s Sustainability Action Plan, which highlights the importance of advancing the circular economy for textiles.

Sixone brings its patented technology and expertise in post-consumer textile recycling to the partnership, creating a pathway for even the most complex blends of clothing to find a new life.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Goodwill, an institution synonymous with giving back and sustainability”, said Chris Wai, Co-founder & CEO at Sixone.

Goodwill’s sustainability action plan is a practical guide that provides a road map of goals, areas of action and performance review tools, that integrates the values of sustainability into all areas of operations and services. Annually, Goodwill diverts more than 20million kg’s from landfills in Alberta and this strategic partnership with Sixone will create the opportunity to divert more.

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About Goodwill Industries of Alberta: Creating positive change since 1963, Goodwill’s mission is to provide Albertans with disabilities the opportunity to enhance their lives through meaningful employment. Goodwill Alberta is one of the largest employers of Albertans with disabilities; with 23% of Goodwill employees having a self-disclosed disability. We provide employment opportunities in our thrift stores and an accommodating work environment for Albertans with disabilities in Edmonton, Sherwood Park, Spruce Grove, St. Albert, Grand Prairie and Calgary. Our Edmonton based Career Connections program has been providing employment coaching, job search, and training to individuals with developmental disabilities for decades. The success of Goodwill’s retail operations revolves around the generosity of people in our community choosing to donate to Goodwill and shop at our thrift stores. Every year over one million Albertans shop at Goodwill, and more than 900,000 Albertans donate to Goodwill; 91% of all revenues go back into our mission and remains in Alberta. We are also a major recycler of a growing range of donated items; we recycle more than 20 million kg every year.  We are a donor-driven charitable society and we’ve been proudly serving Albertans for over 60 years.

About Sixone Labs:  Sixone is revolutionizing the circular recycling of blended plastics by mapping the world’s plastics waste data, starting with polyester in post-consumer textiles. Through selective depolymerization and effective impurity management, Sixone is transforming the way that textile waste is handled, and paving the way for a more sustainable and responsible future with the textile industry.