Diverting Hotel Linen Waste into Luxurious Upcycled Creations

The hospitality industry is a large global sector, generating more than 290,000 tonnes of waste annually, as reported by Business Waste. This staggering amount includes food remnants, single-use plastics, and textiles such as bed sheets and towels, often destined for landfills. Notably, in Europe alone, around 10 million kilos of luxury hotel linen are discarded each year. To address this issue and promote sustainability, innovative initiatives are emerging that focus on reducing hotel linen waste. Below, we explore various sustainable products that have been successfully upcycled from such waste with creative and eco-friendly solutions within the industry.

MARTAN OFFICIAL

Ready-To-Wear Collection

Based in Amsterdam, Martan Official is an innovative upcycling circular fashion brand that upcycles luxury hotel textiles into stylish ready-to-wear outfits, therefore minimising landfill-bound waste. Committed to the well-being of people and the planet, they repurpose hotel linens, tablecloths, and towels sourced from various luxury hotels across Europe. These fabrics, often discarded due to minor signs of wear and tear but still in excellent condition, undergo strict quality checks before being cleaned and given a second life. Martan Official is devoted to using planet-friendly materials, reducing the need for new resources, and minimising CO2 emissions, while ensuring fair and ethical labour practices in their production processes.

(Image credit: Martan Official Upcycled Collection)

ARCHIVIST STUDIO

Hotel Linen Shirts

Located in the Netherlands, Archivist Studio breathes new life into luxury hotel bed linens by crafting sustainable apparel for both men and women. The concept originated from the founders' curiosity about the fate of beautiful, luxurious hotel industry fabrics. Discovering that these materials were often discarded for minor flaws and ended up in landfills, Archivist Studio was created to divert this waste. The studio collects and repurposes these textiles by partnering with hotels to create fashionable shirts, shorts, blouses, and more after thorough cleaning and inspection. Their efforts are a sustainable proof to conscious consumption, reducing landfill waste, and upcycling materials considered waste into luxurious, wearable art.

(Image credit: Archivist Studio Upcycled Hotel Linen Apparel)

PHOEBE ENGLISH

Hotel Bedding Seasonal Collection

Phoebe English, a sustainable fashion studio based in England, has garnered attention for its innovative SS24 collection crafted from upcycled hotel bed linens. Known for supporting sustainable practices and raising awareness about conscious consumption, the studio had used luxurious excess, damaged, or leftover hotel bedding fabrics, mixed with surplus fabrics and bridal waste off-cuts, to create a zero-waste, stylish collection. This ready-to-wear lineup encourages environmental sustainability and also ensures that materials do not end up in landfills, reinforcing the studio’s commitment to minimal waste and fashionable, eco-friendly designs.

(Image credit: Phoebe English Upcycled SS24 Collection)

MARRIOTT HOTELS

Discarded Linen Tote Bags

In 2013, the UK-based Marriott Hotels, part of the international hospitality firm, launched an eco-friendly initiative to create a limited edition upcycled tote bag collection. This project, in partnership with a social enterprise and a luxury brand, aimed to upcycle old, retired bed linens from Marriott hotel rooms into high-quality tote bags. Half of the sale proceeds were donated to a UK charity, creating a buzz with the collection of 1,000 bags. This initiative provided a meaningful opportunity to repurpose discarded textiles and had highlighted Marriott's commitment to sustainable practices and minimising waste.

(Image credit: Marriott Hotel United Kingdom)

WESTIN HOTELS

Upcycled Hotel Linen Pajamas

As part of Marriott International, the luxurious Westin Hotels and Resorts launched a sustainable project in 2018 to convert old bed sheets into nightwear pajamas for children in need. Due to hygiene concerns, the sheets were not donated directly but were instead upcycled into wearable clothing after strict cleaning measures. Collaborating with Clean the World, which recycles hotel soaps into new products for the underprivileged, Westin made and distributed over 2,000 pajamas while recycling more than 30,000 pounds of bed sheets and bathrobes. This initiative helped prevent massive waste from reaching landfills and provided essential clothing to children in dire need.

Upcycling hotel linen represents a important initiative within the sustainability movement by recycling waste into valuable products. The reusing of hotel textiles that would otherwise end up in landfills, brands and companies are conserving resources and reducing environmental impacts. These initiatives span from sustainable fashion to functional products, some of which help people in need, each contributing uniquely to the reduction of waste. They represent how the hospitality industry can evolve towards more sustainable practices by embracing circular economy principles for a future where hotel linen waste is not just managed but creatively repurposed for a better world.