On average, Australians purchase 27kg of new textiles each year and then discard around 23kg into landfill - annually. This means that 6,000kg of textile waste is being disposed of in Australia every 10 minutes.
For every 1kg of textiles you divert from landfill, you’ll be preventing 3-4kg of greenhouse gases from polluting the atmosphere. UPPAREL makes it easy and take the hassle out of determining whether to reuse, upcycle or recycle your textiles.
By implementing their philosophy of reuse first where possible, then upcycle when necessary, UPPAREL will ensure that nothing is ever sent off-shore or dumped in landfill.
You'll receive $20 back as a reward for participating in the program. Redeem it on your next Will & Bear purchase and enjoy sustainably crafted products while helping reduce unnecessary waste and extend the life of quality goods.
Old hats deserve better than landfill. That’s why we’ve partnered with UPPAREL to give your hats a second chance through responsible reuse, recycling and textile recovery. Simply send in your pre-loved items and receive $20 off your next Will & Bear order over $100. Together, we’re helping keep valuable materials in circulation and reducing textile waste.
Price range: $35.00 through $70.00
Spend $100 or more and receive a $20 gift to use on your next purchase from our website. Simply use code WBSECONDCHANCE at checkout to redeem your reward.
Applicable on orders of $100 and over. Coupon code valid for 30 days from the date of issue and can only be issued once per customer. Offer available from 27 May 2026 to 31 December 2027.
Terms & Conditions Apply.
Pack your items ready for collection in a box or secure package. Your parcel must be completely sealed and your shipping label attached. A courier will pick up your parcel from your front door.
How easy was that! You just diverted re-usable materials from landfills and gave them a new life. Thanks for helping us close the loop.
Australians purchase 27kg of new textiles each year and then discard around 23kg into landfill—annually.
This means that as a country, we’re discarding over 6,000kg of textile and clothing waste every 10 minutes.
Did you know that clothing waste takes up to 40 years to decompose, whilst shoes can take 1,000 years to break down?
All up, the fashion industry is the 2nd largest polluting industry in the world, contributing 1.2 billion tonnes of carbon a year.
kg of Greenhouse Gases prevented
kg will be reused
kg will be upcycled
kg will be recycled
If your items are sent in a suitable condition, then we can donate them to one of our charity partners for someone else to love.
If your items are past their prime, then we’ll work with our recycling partners to turn them into something new like a tote bag.
If your items are damaged, they can be used to create new yarn or shredded and used for things like insulation or stuffing for pet beds.
Once you’ve got your textiles boxed and ready to be collected, simply book your collection through the link in your order confirmation email. After selecting your desired date this will then generate labels that will be sent to your email address for you to print and attach to your box(es). Now you can leave your package(s) outside for collection. We’ll take care of the rest!
To reduce waste and emissions we don’t send you anything to collect your items in. Your textiles can be packaged into ANY type of box (no larger than check-in luggage) — a food delivery box, grocery box or moving box would work! You can also pack your items into a durable bag or satchel.
As a reference, the package should be approximately 46cm x 41cm x 42cm, however, it doesn’t have to be these dimensions exactly!
Please note: The courier cannot collect garbage bags.
Check out our suggested packaging video below for ideas!
Unfortunately not. We don’t currently have the resources, infrastructure or team to manage drop-offs from the public. We’ll be sure to let our community know if this changes in the future, but for now you can organise a contactless-collection HERE.
Currently 65% of items that UPPAREL is receiving are in new or fit-for-wear condition and are prepared to be passed onto our epic Australian partners; Save The Children, Sacred Heart Mission, Ready Set Australia, St Kilda Mums and Good360 Australia! The remaining 35% are assessed for their suitability to be up-cycled into new items or recycled into new materials.
Environmentally it is best to reuse items wherever possible, so we’ll always try to reuse or repair shoes if we can! If we cannot reuse them then their materials can be of use in many ways — rubber can be shredded and developed into new products or track surfaces, basketball courts and playgrounds. Their soles can also be used to create soles for fresh shoes!
Once the textiles are sorted and assessed as unfit-for-wear, they are then separated into items of similar composition, colour and material. From there, we’re able to work internally to shred the fibres down and repurpose them into items such as roof tiles, insulation, office partitions and stuffing for pet beds. Some valuable fibres can also be blended with virgin fibres to produce yarns that can be used in manufacturing to create new products.
Customers will be provided with a link through the collection confirmation email to schedule their collection for a date that suits them best.
Please note — couriers do not collect on weekends. If you live in an apartment building and do not have a safe place to leave your items, reach out via hello@upparel.com.au for assistance.
Great question! The recycling fee helps to contribute towards a number of the costs involved in operating a textile recycling initiative. There are the costs associated with transporting and storing items, separating them, sorting them based on their second life use and preparing new or fit-for-wear items to be distributed to our epic Australian partners; Save The Children, Sacred Heart Mission, Ready Set Australia, St Kilda Mums and Good360 Australia! Not to mention the expenses involved with our specialised recycling process.
These costs add up quickly, which may be the reason so few retailers are engaging in on-shore textile recycling initiatives. As an independent business without any government funding, the $35 collection fee is really important in contributing towards these costs and supporting our mission as a small Australian start-up to keep textiles out of landfill and create a circular life cycle for the products we manufacture.
Your $20 Will & Bear discount code is valid for 30 days from the date it is issued. The code can be redeemed on orders over $100 at Will & Bear and is subject to the applicable terms and conditions.
RecycleGive Your Hat A Second Chance.
Every hat returned helps reduce textile waste and keeps valuable materials in circulation. Together with Will & Bear and UPPAREL, you can help create a future where products are made better, worn well and never wasted.