Launch of "LUI - Luxembourg Upcycling Initiative" project

Caritas Luxembourg, with the support of the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development, are launching LUI - Luxembourg Upcycling Initiative. The aim of the project is to create new objects of use in Luxembourg from professional uniforms that are no longer in use, in order to reduce CO2 emissions and integrate materials that can still be used into the circular economy.

In Luxembourg, according to a study by the LIST (Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology) on decarbonisation*, the purchase of clothing represents 621 kg of CO2 equivalent per person per year, making it the category of consumer goods that generates the most CO2 equivalent, far ahead of furniture (332 kg), hygiene (322 kg) and electronics and technology (259 kg).

In the first stage, the carbon footprint of the life cycle of uniforms will be assessed and potential partners will be identified and contacted (the army, police, fire brigade, Post Luxembourg, private companies, etc.). Uniforms that are no longer worn will be recovered and given a second life as raw materials for other textile products. Part of the project will involve creating jobs and training people in social integration to become dressmakers and thus to recycle textiles. At the end of the project, prototypes will be presented that maximise the reuse of raw materials and minimise waste production.

By fighting climate change at a national level and promoting sustainable consumption in the textile sector, Caritas Luxembourg is not only acting for social inclusion in Luxembourg, but is also helping to limit CO2 emissions in order to reduce the impact of our consumption patterns at a national level. In this way, LUI contributes to the revalorisation of uniforms promoting eco-responsibility and sustainability in the textile sector in Luxembourg and around the world.