Sustainability Report 2017

Collection in Switzerland In densely populated Swiss cities and towns, TEXAID is increasingly using space-saving under- ground bins that have been specially designed by TEXAID for the collection of used textiles. Under- ground bins are built in a way that only the ope- ning slots of the throw-in columns are visible at the surface. This column style design saves space and enables the bins to be perfectly inte- grated into the appearance of the location. Un- derground storage bins can hold larger volumes than conventional bins and can be emptied less frequently, which saves trips of the collection dri- vers. Upon evaluating its various collection systems, TEXAID concluded that its previous street collec- tion methods no longer meet today’s ecological and economic standards. The studies showed that in rural and suburban areas, as well as in smaller cities, the number of miles driven by collectors and the resulting impact on the environment was three times higher than the number of miles re- quired for container collections. TEXAID therefore decided to optimize its traditional way of textile donations pick-ups in these areas. Since 2017, TEXAID has teamed up with Swiss Post, a logistics service provider that allows for street © Post CH AG Underground bin in Switzerland Example of an in-shop collection box collections in most of these communities. Resi- dents can use this service for an entire month (Mondays to Fridays) free of charge and are asked to place the collection bag next to their mailbox. In the event of bad weather, they are also asked to make sure that the bag is well protected. Pos- tal workers pick up the collection bags on their daily routes. The used textiles are gathered in a mail centre and then sent to the sorting facility in Schattdorf for additional processing. Due to the synergies with the Swiss postal service, TEXAID eli- minates unnecessary trips to the container bins, since the used textiles are simply picked up by postal workers as they deliver the mail. 18