Grader Collaboration
Whitehouse & Schapiro, LLC has a committed relationship with grading companies who are responsible for sorting secondhand clothing into quality different categories for reuse.
Grading companies provide needed employment for under-skilled workers who are a relatively ignored segment of our economy. We support graders by supplying dependable supplies of used clothing year round, which helps maintain employment in grading businesses even when economic cycles are distressed. We carefully coordinate supply volume with grader capability to maintain superior recycling results.
Many grading companies are members of SMART (Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles) Association. SMART membership currently represents nearly 200 companies in the recycling business which provide meaningful jobs for more than 20,000 people in the United States who locally drive our economy and preserve our environment.
Without our commitment to this vital grading function:
- Landfills would be overflowing with perfectly wearable clothing.
- Business cycles in the recycling industry would be more extreme leading to higher unemployment.
- The goal of reduction in textile waste would be jeopardized in this country and around the world.