On arrival on the EHL campus, students in the preparatory year (AP) for their Bachelor's degree receive kitchen and service uniforms. These are used for one semester before being either kept or left at EHL, along with other private clothing, and collected by an external collection company. EHL, having little visibility on the end-of-life of textiles and wishing to be part of a circular economy, relied on the expertise of La Fabrique Circulaire.

In July 2023, La Fabrique Circulaire visited EHL to analyze the quantities and typologies of clothing left on campus and explore circular textile management solutions with the EHL Sustainability team.

The opportunity to develop in-house reuse, via second-hand and rental, was studied in the light of a multi-criteria analysis and the appreciation of students, consulted through a widely distributed survey. Several interviews were also held with potential external partners for textile recycling outside EHL.

At the end of La Fabrique Circulaire's support in March 2024, EHL formed a new partnership with Coopérative Démarche, via its Textura entity, for the collection and reuse of uniforms and clothing. Various outlets are envisaged for professional textiles: upcycling, marketing in boutiques or even making them available to beneficiaries within certain Démarche integration measures. Private textiles will be sold in Ateapic boutiques and on ateapic.ch.

By choosing Démarche as its partner, EHL is assured that the new management of textiles, once off the school campus, will have a positive societal impact. In addition to extending the life of clothing, textile recycling activities will serve Textura's public utility mission of enhancing employability and integration into the job market.