Connecting Collection and Creation

During Sweden’s schools’ autumn break, Science Park Borås at the University of Borås invited craft teachers Malin Byström from Höglunda's school in Sundsvall and Anna Franzén from Sandared's school in Borås for a conversation about textile craft, reuse, and the everyday challenges of finding sustainable materials for teaching.

Although sustainability and circular thinking are part of the national curriculum, the teachers described how difficult it is to access reused textiles within current procurement systems.

"Most of the reuse that happens in schools today relies entirely on our own initiatives and contacts. We beg for materials from laundries, companies and parents, there’s no real structure for it", said Malin.

Her colleague Anna added that the problem often lies in how schools are allowed to buy materials.

"Public procurement locks us into suppliers who only sell new materials. If we want to work with reuse, we have to figure it out in our spare time", she said.

The discussion highlighted how much depends on individual engagement rather than established systems. Teachers who want to work with reused fabrics often have to find and collect materials on their own time. This mirrors a broader challenge in society: while textile collection and sorting are improving, there are still few established channels for redistributing materials to new users.

"Public procurement plays a key role in how materials flow. If we want schools and other public institutions to access reused textiles, we also need to help existing suppliers adapt. Supporting them in finding ways to include collected materials in their offer may prove just as important as improving collection systems", said Linda Nydén, Science Park Borås.

Conversations like this are an important part of the THREADs journey, helping us understand how collected textiles can find new life and value in different parts of society. Exploring how these materials could also support education, creative workshops or social innovation is one possible direction for future development.

From left to right: Lena-Marie Jensen from Science Park Borås, Anna Franzén from Sandareds school in Borås, Malin Byström from Höglunda school in Sundsvall, and Linda Nydén from Science Park Borås.