BC SoftWear has partnered with textile reuse company Avena Group to launch an end-of-life recycling program for the spa and hospitality industries. Customers can recycle used towels, bathrobes, slippers, and spa linens through Avena's SecureBrand scheme, turning them into insulation materials, acoustic panels, geotextiles, and fiber-reinforced concrete. Scotland's five-star Gleneagles hotel has already joined by recycling slippers, and Guarantee Laundry is also using the scheme to handle end-of-life textiles.

Key Points

  • BC SoftWear customers can use Avena's SecureBrand recycling scheme to process end-of-life textiles such as towels, bathrobes, slippers, and spa linens; branded materials have trademarks and exclusive patterns permanently removed during processing.
  • Scotland's five-star Gleneagles hotel has joined the program to recycle slippers, while Guarantee Laundry recycles end-of-life textiles through Avena.
  • BC SoftWear achieved B Corp certification in May 2026 with a score of 118 (threshold 80); since April 2021 it has shipped over 19 million products in plastic-free packaging.

Where End-of-Life Textiles Go: From Landfill to Insulation and Acoustic Panels

This program targets linens retired from spa and hospitality settings. BC SoftWear customers can access Avena's SecureBrand recycling service, which collects end-of-life textiles such as towels, bathrobes, slippers, and spa linens and reuses them where feasible. The processed materials can be converted into products including insulation, acoustic panels, geotextiles, and fiber-reinforced concrete.

During processing, Avena also permanently removes trademarks, monograms, and custom patterns from textiles bearing identifiable branding to protect brand security. Barbara Cooke, founder and CEO of BC SoftWear, said the company has always operated sustainably, from designing durable products to continuously reducing waste in its supply chain; she noted that 92 million tonnes of textile waste enter landfill each year, which is why partnering with Avena gives customers a credible, secure end-of-life recycling solution.

Already Live at the Hotel End: Gleneagles Recycles Slippers

The program already has real-world applications. Scotland's five-star Gleneagles hotel has joined the scheme to recycle its slippers; Guarantee Laundry also uses Avena to recycle end-of-life textiles. Customers interested in joining SecureBrand can contact BC SoftWear directly.

Cooke added that Avena's innovation gives products a second life after hotel and spa guests have used them, which is how the company supports the circular economy, offering customers a solution that combines one-stop premium textile supply with responsible end-of-life management.

International Expansion and Plastic Reduction Data in Parallel

The partnership launches as BC SoftWear continues to expand internationally. In 2026 the company appointed its first regional manager dedicated to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region and established a subsidiary, BC SoftWear International LLC, in the UAE, along with a third-party logistics warehouse to support customers in the region; previously, the company had formed new partnerships with several hotel and wellness operators in Europe and the Middle East.

On certification and plastic reduction, BC SoftWear achieved B Corp certification in May 2026 with a score of 118, against a certification threshold of 80. The company says its environmental measures include: reducing single-use plastic by 50 tonnes per year through cornstarch or paper footwear packaging; removing plastic bags from towels and bathrobes for a further 40 tonnes saved annually; and shipping over 19 million products in plastic-free packaging since April 2021, cutting 111 tonnes of plastic across its supply chain.

For the textile recycling and reuse industry, this partnership channels hotel and spa linens that would otherwise go to landfill into a reuse pathway for industrial materials, and addresses brand confidentiality concerns by removing brand identifiers, offering a replicable model for end-of-life management of commercial linens.

Source: BC SoftWear launches textile recycling scheme with Avena | spaopportunities.com products · Originally published 2026-10-06