Every single second, a garbage truck’s worth of clothing is dumped into landfill somewhere on Earth. So if we want to avoid trashing our planet, we have to start figuring out how to re-use the stuff we already have.

That’s why the Garbage Sweater started with a very simple idea. What if garbage isn’t garbage? What if it’s simply pre-assembled raw materials that we can use to make new things.

Designed to help rethink the role that garbage will play in Earth’s future, the Garbage Sweater takes old firefighter suits and bulletproof vests that were destined to spend the next few centuries on a rubbish pile, and transforms them into a warm, soft, fire-resistant sweater.