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Posted: July 16, 2025
With a CleanBC grant in hand, Debrand is set to tackle plastic textile waste by advancing circular systems in British Columbia. The company will research and sort non-reusable plastic apparel to better understand how to keep these materials in circulation, and out of landfills.
Debrand, a sustainability-driven company based in Metro Vancouver, has received over $325,000 from the CleanBC Plastics Action Fund to address a pressing issue in fashion: plastic-based textile waste. The funding, administered by the Province of British Columbia and Alacrity Canada, will support Debrand’s R&D efforts to divert non-reusable synthetic apparel from landfills and integrate them into a growing ecosystem of circular material solutions. As plastic-derived textiles now make up about 60% of global clothing, Debrand’s work is focused on extending the life of these materials through smarter design and recovery systems.
With the grant, Debrand plans to use its proprietary software and automated sorting tech to analyze the composition of discarded synthetic garments. The goal is to pinpoint what’s possible when it comes to reusing or recycling them. By better understanding the makeup and volume of this apparel waste stream, the company hopes to unlock scalable pathways to reuse, something that’s urgently needed as the fashion industry continues to generate massive amounts of waste.
At the heart of Debrand’s initiative is a long-term vision: to fill the infrastructure gap that keeps plastic textiles from being part of a viable recycling solution. While fast fashion fuels constant consumption, most of those garments are designed to be thrown away. Through this project, and with circular textile recycling solutions in focus, Debrand aims to shift the industry toward a model where end-of-life textiles become a resource, not waste. Alacrity Canada praised Debrand’s role in building a foundation for sustainable textile recycling, calling it a transformative step for the future of fashion.
