The Bra Recyclers Founder Elaine Birks-Mitchell Receives 2026 Circular Arizona Award

We’re proud to share that Elaine Birks-Mitchell, founder of The Bra Recyclers, has been honored with the 2026 Circular Arizona Award, recognizing leaders who are advancing the circular economy and creating real, measurable impact.

The award highlights individuals and organizations working to move industries away from a “take-make-waste” model and toward systems that prioritize reuse, recycling, and responsible material management.

Advancing Circular Solutions in the Apparel Industry

For more than a decade, Elaine has been a pioneer in addressing one of fashion’s most overlooked waste streams: intimate apparel and undergarments.

Bras are among the most difficult garments to recycle due to their mixed materials — including elastics, foam, metal underwires, and specialized fabrics. Because of this complexity, millions of bras end up in landfills each year.

Through The Bra Recyclers, Elaine set out to change that.

The organization has built a national infrastructure that enables individuals, retailers, nonprofits, and businesses to responsibly divert bras and other textiles from the waste stream.

Their circular model prioritizes:

• Reuse first, extending the life of wearable bras through redistribution

• Responsible recycling for materials that cannot be reused

• Retail and brand partnerships that allow companies to offer take-back programs

• Community impact, ensuring usable items support people in need

By combining environmental sustainability with social good, The Bra Recyclers has created a model that proves circularity can deliver both environmental and human impact.

Circularity Requires Infrastructure

As the fashion industry faces increasing pressure to address textile waste, many brands are recognizing that circularity requires more than messaging — it requires operational systems.

Under Elaine’s leadership, The Bra Recyclers has helped:

• Divert millions of bras and textiles from landfill

• Provide responsible end-of-life solutions for complex garments

• Support retailers looking to integrate circular take-back programs into their sustainability strategies

• Build partnerships that expand reuse networks and recycling pathways

These efforts demonstrate that circular economy solutions are possible when organizations are willing to invest in the logistics, partnerships, and infrastructure required to make them work.

A Recognition of Industry Leadership

The Circular Arizona Award recognizes individuals who are moving circular economy principles from theory into practice.

For Elaine, the recognition reflects years of work building solutions that are scalable, practical, and accessible to both consumers and retailers.

Circularity in apparel is no longer optional. As textile waste regulations expand and consumer expectations evolve, the brands that lead in circular solutions today will shape the future of retail.

Building the Future of Circular Textile Programs

The Bra Recyclers continues to work with organizations, retailers, and sustainability leaders to expand access to responsible textile recycling.

Whether through community collection programs or brand partnerships, the goal remains the same:

Keep textiles out of landfills and give materials a second life whenever possible.

To explore how your organization can participate in bra and textile recycling programs, visit TheBraRecyclers.com/drop-off-locations.

You can read Circular Arizona’s official announcement of the award winners here:
https://circulararizona.org/news/circular-arizona-announces-2026-award-winners-recognizing-statewide-circular-economy-leaders