I&G Cohen Limited have been at the forefront of textile recycling in the U.K. since 1959. Managing Director, Elliot Cohen was President of the Textile Recycling Association from 2000-2003. We were also founder members of Recyclatex, a group of companies formed to ensure a cost effective and reliable national clothes recycling service is provided to local authorities, waste management companies and charities.

why recycle?

In the UK, approximately 1.5 – 2 million tonnes of textile waste is generated each year. Of this, 1.2 million tonnes enter the household waste stream going to landfill. Textiles present particular problems at landfill: man-made fibres do not decompose and although woollen garments do eventually decompose they emit methane gases which contribute towards global warming and climate change. The World Health Organisation estimates that approximately 150,000 people die every year due to climate change.

what are the benefits of textile recycling?

As well as environmental benefits, clothes recycling has an important social and economic role to play. Clothes recycling in the UK provides an affordable source of clothing to disadvantaged people in the developing world and emerging countries in Eastern Europe. We have been at the forefront of campaigning for textile recycling in the UK and have been an active member of the DEFRA Sustainable Clothing Roadmap and are active in discussions with government agencies to improve textile recycling rates.

our products and our partners

I&G Cohen Limited have a long tradition of working closely with a number of different partners including charities, private and public sector and non-governmental organisations. Our commercial partnerships with charities cover kerbside collections and textile bank schemes. Kerbside collections are undoubtedly the most effective way of recycling textiles and a popular way to raise funds and awareness for the charity. We also have successful partnerships with many local authorities to enable them to offer a textile recycling service and we foster strong relationships with waste management companies allowing them to leave the textile waste collection service to a specialist textile recycling company like ourselves.

We offer a diverse range of bespoke products for sale in the UK and abroad and have a wealth of experience having exported used clothing, shoes and discarded household textiles for over 30 years and within the UK for over 50 years. Our rich history and experience has enabled us to evolve and adapt to an ever changing environment which has been recognised with a series of business awards: in 2008 we were awarded the UK's most prestigious business accolade – the Queen's Award for Enterprise (International Trade) This was followed by the EN magazine's Family Business of the Year award and more recently, the International Trade Award, Salford Business 2009.