The Secondary Materials and Recycled Textile Association forms chapters to address the particular needs, business interests, and timely issues of its members who share common concerns and unique challenges. Company participants involved are encouraged to share ideas and information to further the group's common business interests.
As a service of membership, the chapter advances the missions and goals of SMART. The chapter reports the progress of their activities and budgetary needs to the SMART Board of Directors.
Recycled Clothing/Graders Chapter - Secondhand Clothing Graders are an integral part of SMART's membership as their primary business activity of collecting, recycling, and processing post consumer textiles waste is a fundamental process. Grader's activities derive many of the products (i.e. reclaimed wipers and material for recycled fiber) that other SMART chapters such as Wiping Material Converters and Distributers and Post Producers business activities are predicated on.
A diverse global membership from New York, Miami, Houston, Toronto, India, Dubai and Pakistan come together to form SMART's dynamic RECYCLED CLOTHING CHAPTER. Our chapter is comprised of the industry's leading thinkers and companies. Meeting 3-4 times a year our chapter benefits from the discussion of current and important issues that affect our industry. From these meetings our chapter formulates policy and direction on issues that our association can work on to create real world agendas and results s that benefit all of our constituents.
In the past our chapter has been instrumental in dealing with:
- Foreign Pre Shipment Inspection issues
- Unfair trade practices
- USA/ Canada Border issues
- Founding The Council for Textile Recycling,
- Founding our shipper's association SORT.
SMART has also taken a firm position in opposing bans of secondhand clothing wherever they exist in the world, and has successfully and accurately portrayed the integrity of what our graders do when issues pertaining to our industry are presented by the worldwide press.
With regular regional meetings in cities with large numbers of grading companies such as Toronto and Houston, Smart offers outstanding opportunities for secondhand clothing dealers around the world to meet, network and to work together to solve the complicated issues that confront our industry in an ever increasingly complex economic environment.
Subcommittees:
- International Trade
- Voluntary Standards and Certification
- U.S Customs and Inspections
Wiping Material Converters and Distributors Chapter - The wiping material converters and distributors chapter consists of members whose primary business is the processing of pre and post consumer textiles with the intent of providing wiping materials for industry and consumers. Just about everyone in the world uses wiping materials. SMART is the gateway to any company wishing to grow their business. SMART membership and participation in this chapter is key.
Members of this chapter convert clothing, linens, new mill ends and nonwoven/paper roll goods into wiping products to be sold to the commercial, industrial, retail, specialty, and mass merchandising sector. Because members of this chapter can sort, cut, grade, and package cloths of different textures and absorbency levels to meet the end user's needs, disposable wipers made from recycled textiles and paper/nonwovens have more flexibility and choices than rented shop towels. Many disposable wiping cloths also offer a better alternative with regard to size, performance, and cost as compared to rental shop towels.
As we know, a big push for many companies is to promote "Green" products. Many of the disposable wiper companies have been leading this movement for years...before it became a headline. There are many definitions of "Green". Recycled clothing, linens, and new mill ends are all diverted from the landfill by being made into wiping cloths. Disposable non woven off grade materials such as Spunlace, Spunbond, Airlaid, tissue, among many other substrates are also resold as wipers. In most cases, the products mentioned are originally intended for medical, filtration, household, and hygienic applications. Years ago, when these products didn't meet the manufacturers' specifications, the mills simply rejected the products and sent them to be landfilled. What has changed is that some of the disposable wiper converters now buy these rejected items and then resell them as disposable wiping products. This accomplishes a significant reduction in landfill while creating a market for a product that was thought to be unusable.
The Wiping Material Converters and Distributors Chapters help members in many ways including learning better ways to package products and market your company. Most importantly it helps its members sell more products made from recycled materials through the following:
- Gathers state disposal regulation
- Works directly with INDA on Federal EPA wipe rules (see www.smartwipes.org)
- Commission life cycle assessments comparing the environmental impact of wipers made from textile, paper/nonwovens and rental shop towels
- Creates brochures for members to compete with rental shop towels
- Creates brochures for disseminating regulatory rules
- Hosts speakers that can help your sales team sell for efficiently and effectively
Subcommittees:
- Disposability and Environmental
Post Producer Chapter
This chapter is made up of companies that recycle pre-consumer waste from textile-related manufacturers. The collected materials are sorted and marketed for re-use in many manufactured products across the globe. Some of the most common products made from these materials include yarn, fine writing paper, currency paper, flock, sorbent products, automotive insulation and sound-proofing, padding and many products requiring stuffing.
These companies benefit from SMART membership for the following reasons:
- Finding new sources for waste materials to be recycled - SMART is very often contacted by manufacturers inquiring what they might be able to do with their textile waste.
- Discount export shipping rates through SORT
- Industry trend news and updates on new emerging markets
- Since much of the textile industry has relocated to other countries, SMART helps members with global sourcing of raw materials for production
