Christopher Onslow, Senior Feedstock Manager
From Vietnam to the world: Christopher Onslow reports from Syre's first feedstock frontier
As Syre's first employee in Vietnam, Christopher Onslow leads the sourcing and securing of the textile waste, or feedstock, that fuels our processes and enables the great textile shift. His mission? To find the right waste and direct it towards a new life instead of end-of-life.
What determines if textile waste can become feedstock for Syre's process?
“We use 100 percent textiles as input materials. It can be clothing, airbags, or something else —the key is that it's mainly consisting of polyester fibers. To scale our operations fast, we mass-balance several material sources: spill from production processes, items not fit for sale, post institutional textiles, and post-consumer textiles that are collected from households at end-of-use. Following the waste hierarchy, we prioritize materials that would otherwise end up in landfills or incinerators.”
What's the biggest challenge in securing quality feedstock?
“The biggest challenge is ensuring a consistent and high-quality supply. This involves dealing with the variability in collected materials and overcoming transport and storage hurdles. While Vietnam's textile industry faces significant environmental challenges, we're seeing promising initiatives emerge. Organizations like Global Fashion Agenda and GIZ are launching collaborations between brands, manufacturers, and recyclers to ensure textile waste is collected, segregated, and recycled.”
As our first employee in Vietnam, what do you love most about your role?
“I am thrilled to be at the forefront of our sustainability initiatives in this vibrant market. This role allows me to be directly involved in transforming waste materials into valuable resources, to collaborate with talented and passionate people to solve complex challenges, and to engage with local communities, suppliers and stakeholders to promote sustainability. Being part of Syre’s mission to lead the way in circular textiles is a source of great pride.”