Weebill Online’s Textile Emporium, is Australia's dedicated marketplace for textile and craft resources. The Textile Emporium connects households, makers, community groups, deceased estates and businesses - everyone seeking to buy, sell, donate and repurpose textile and craft related materials. Through encouraging circular reuse and community participation, the business aims to reduce waste by unlocking value from underutilised resources and generate support for organisations assisting women experiencing disadvantage, particularly women experiencing homelessness.

BACKGROUND
A colleague once told me that when one is faced with a seemingly insurmountable problem, "you have to eat an elephant one mouthful at a time". That advice has stayed with me. And it has haunted me ever since I discovered there is a mountain of textile waste in the Chilean Atacama desert that can be seen from space. Landfill is a symptom of over-production and a disposal culture. And unfortunately, landfill has now spilled over into waste colonialism.

 We can no longer expect big corporations or our governments to resolve the issue, we need to take some personal responsibility. While over-production continues, investment in circularity will lag, and more so while financial modelling does not deliver any incentives to do better.

WHY A WEEBILL
An Australian weebill, weighing feathers and all, just 6.5 grams, is the weight of one and a half teaspoons of sugar. Just about a mouthful. The mammoth textile waste crisis is far larger than one person, or one government, can solve. But when we work together to keep textiles out of landfill, even one little Weebill at a time, it adds up, and the impact is immense.

WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF COLLECTIVE ACTION?
Every metre of textile that remains in use for longer, reduces the demand to produce more. This is part of the solution. Several circularity sources claim that, depending on the fibre type, every metre of textile reused can save up to 20 litres of water and 1 kWh of energy, while preventing up to 1.2 kilograms of CO₂ from entering the atmosphere.

And that's before considering the additional benefits of reduced chemical use, less microplastic pollution, lower habitat destruction, and decreased demand for virgin resource extraction.

WHY WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT
Across Australia, valuable textile and craft resources sit unused in homes, businesses, factories and deceased estates. The problem isn't that there are no buyers, after all, Australia is the world’s second highest textile consuming country. It's that buyers and sellers are scattered across various social media groups, general marketplaces and informal networks, making it difficult for buyers and sellers to find each other.

Our new national marketplace aims to change that, by bringing Australia's textile and creative community together in one dedicated, searchable, trading platform. Whether clearing a sewing room, downsizing, managing a deceased estate, reducing surplus stock or sourcing affordable materials, all Australians can now connect with other people who understand the value of textile and craft resources.

But more that that, our true strength lies in our power as a collective. Like-minded people can help this marketplace develop into a grassroots movement to address the lack of  investment in circularity. With a social license to advocate for circular investment, and by taking deliberate action to solve our own waste problems, we can have real long term environmental and social impact.

ASPIRATION
Creating a space where every metre of fabric, every ball of yarn and every creative resource has another opportunity to be used, enjoyed and valued. When thousands of Australians participate, small individual, Weebill-like, actions can collectively unlock value from unused resources, reduce waste, support makers, and generate funds for vulnerable women.

Historically, women have such strong ties with the textile industry, that I felt Weebill Online would be the perfect vehicle to generate an income stream for that purpose.

Before I set up Weebill Online as a Textile Emporium, I asked:
What if...
...we can reduce waste, while helping women?
...creators and makers are waiting for my stash in a dedicated textile and craft marketplace?
...circularity was a grassroots movement?
Would it make a difference?

Please note that Weebill Online is not a charitable organisation, or social enterprise, even though we have very strong social values. Any donations you make, have to go directly to organisations that have identified a specific need. Any donations we make from any profits, will be granted on a discretionary basis. Suggestions of groups supporting homeless women are especially welcomed, but there is no guarantee that those recommended organisations will be selected as recipients, as the community need is much larger than our existing resources at present. Thank you for your interest and support.