Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART)

What Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART) does

The Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART) is an international nonprofit trade association founded in 1932 and headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia. It represents the for-profit textile recycling industry across three primary segments: wiping materials converters and distributors, recycled clothing graders and brokers, and fiber industry reprocessors. SMART's core mission is to strengthen economic opportunities for members by promoting interdependence across these segments and providing a common forum for networking, education, and advocacy.

The association delivers value through a portfolio of membership services, advocacy products, and signature events. Member-facing tools include a searchable SMART Member Directory, member-exclusive online forums (SMARTTrader for commercial transactions, SMARTLine for association news, and SMARTWomen for women-in-industry networking), and an annual convention plus regional conferences — currently including the 2026 Fall Conference in Montréal (October 20-22, 2026) and the 2027 Annual Convention in the Bahamas (April 12-14, 2027). SMART co-convened the inaugural Textiles Recycling Expo USA 2026 with Accelerating Circularity and Goodwill Industries International. Advocacy products include position papers, model ordinances for clothing collection bins (adopted in 2025), and policy engagement with USTR and the U.S. Department of Commerce on international trade issues, including a successful win on the U.S.-El Salvador CAFTA-DR used clothing origin rule.

SMART operates a nonprofit business model financed primarily through annual membership dues from companies in the wiping, used clothing, and fiber segments, supplemented by event registration fees, conference sponsorships, and exhibitor fees. Membership dues and event pricing are not publicly disclosed. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and run by a lean executive team of approximately 8 staff led by Executive Director Cameron Curtis. Public-facing educational resources and a "Where to Recycle" directory extend SMART's reach to consumers, schools, and municipalities seeking textile recycling information.

Name

Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART)

Legal name

Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association

Website

https://smartasn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1932

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SMART is an international nonprofit trade association founded in 1932 that represents the for-profit textile recycling industry — including wiping materials, used clothing, and fiber reprocessors — through membership services, advocacy, and annual conventions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Alexandria

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: SMART generates revenue through annual membership dues from companies in the wiping materials, used clothing, fiber, and textile recycling sectors. Members pay to access exclusive tools, directories, forums, and event registration.
2. Event Registration and Sponsorship: Revenue is generated through conference registrations, sponsorship packages, and exhibitor fees for the Annual Convention and regional conferences, including the 2026 Fall Conference in Montreal and 2027 Bahamas Convention.
3. Sponsorship Packages: The association offers a la carte promotional options and customized sponsorship packages for conventions, providing brand visibility to exhibitors and sponsors in exchange for fees.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

SMART is a nonprofit trade association founded in 1932 that represents companies in the secondary materials and recycled textiles industry, including textile recyclers, graders, wiper manufacturers, and related industry segments. The association sells annual membership to companies operating in these segments and delivers advocacy, networking, education, and industry development services in return. It is headquartered in Alexandria, VA, with approximately 8 staff members.

Product overview

SMART is an international trade association offering a portfolio of membership services, events, and advocacy programs for the textile recycling industry. The core offerings include a searchable member directory for networking, member-exclusive online forums (SMARTTrader for commerce, SMARTLine for news, SMARTWomen for diversity networking), and annual conferences. The association also provides advocacy resources including position papers and model ordinances for clothing collection bins, and serves as a unified voice on policy issues including Extended Producer Responsibility and international trade. Educational resources support communities and schools in promoting textile recycling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Trade Association Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• 85% of clothing and textiles end up in landfills even though 95% can be reused and recycled

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Accelerating CircularitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2026Accelerating Circularity serves as the Structural Partner for the Textiles Recycling Expo USA 2026. SMART collaborated in developing the conference agenda and programming to address pressing challenges and opportunities in the U.S. textile recovery and recycling landscape.
• Goodwill Industries InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2026Goodwill Industries International joins as Impact Partner and sponsor of the Conference Theater at the Textiles Recycling Expo USA 2026, helping drive meaningful change across the textile reuse and recycling industry.
• GoodwillminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGoodwill thrift stores serve as drop-off locations for textile recycling. Any textile not sellable in stores is recycled. This partnership provides public access points for textile collection.
• Salvation ArmyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSalvation Army thrift stores operate as textile drop-off locations for public recycling, with unsellable textiles being recycled through the association's network.
• St. Vincent DePaulminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSt. Vincent DePaul thrift stores serve as community textile drop-off locations, accepting donations and recycling textiles that cannot be sold.
• SaversminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSavers thrift stores function as textile recycling drop-off points for communities, accepting and recycling any textiles not suitable for resale.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA): NWRA is the leading U.S. trade association for the private waste and recycling industry, including collectors, processors, and haulers. It is comparable to SMART as a fellow nonprofit advocacy organization for the recycling industry, though its scope spans all recyclable commodities rather than focusing on textiles.
• Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA): SWANA is a professional association for solid waste management professionals across North America, covering collection, recycling, and disposal. It is a comparable trade body advocating on recycling policy and infrastructure, with overlapping interest in textile diversion from landfills.

Broad incumbents

• Bureau of International Recycling (BIR): BIR is a global trade association representing the recycling industry, including a dedicated textiles division. It is comparable to SMART as a peer international trade body advocating on behalf of recyclers, including textile recyclers, on cross-border trade and regulatory issues.
• American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA): AAFA is the U.S. national trade association representing apparel, footwear, and other sewn products companies. It is a comparable industry association in the broader textile/apparel ecosystem, advocating on trade, sustainability, and regulatory matters that intersect with SMART's used-clothing and textile recycling membership.
• International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF): ITMF is an international forum for the world's textile industries, covering yarns, fabrics, and finished products. It is a broadly comparable international trade association in the textile value chain, though it primarily represents manufacturers rather than recyclers, and shares policy and trade-advocacy functions.
• Recycled Materials Association (ReMa): ReMa is a division of ISRI (Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries) focused on recycled materials. It is comparable to SMART as a trade association advocating for recyclers and connecting industry segments, though ReMa concentrates on broader commodities rather than textiles specifically.

Direct peers

• Textile Exchange: Textile Exchange is a global nonprofit focused on preferred fibers and materials, including recycled textiles, with industry standards, events, and member programs. It is directly comparable to SMART as another mission-driven nonprofit serving the textile reuse and recycling value chain, though with a stronger materials-standards orientation.
• Council of Textile Recycling: The Council of Textile Recycling is a U.S. trade association specifically representing companies involved in textile recycling and reuse, including collectors and processors. It is a directly comparable peer trade body to SMART, focused on the same end-market and similar member segments.

Emerging players

• Sustainable Apparel Coalition: The Sustainable Apparel Coalition is an industry group focused on environmental and social sustainability in apparel, including the Higg Index tools. It is comparable to SMART as a nonprofit, member-driven organization working on circularity and reuse in the apparel/textile ecosystem, with overlapping sustainability and EPR advocacy concerns.

Others

• Reusable Packaging Association: The Reusable Packaging Association is a trade association promoting reusable packaging solutions. It is a thematically adjacent trade association serving a related reuse-and-circular-economy constituency with similar advocacy, member-directory, and event-based value propositions to SMART.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SMARTTextile
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@smartasnorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/smarttextiles
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/secondary-materials-and-recycled-textiles
• Instagraminstagram.com/smartsince1932

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART)