Interview with Joey Pham of Eorte, Sustainable Uniforms & Circular Systems

In today’s episode we speak with Joey Pham, founder of Eorte — a company creating regenerative uniforms and textile systems for the hospitality sector.

Eorte supports the circular economy by creating a closed-loop system for textile waste within hospitality. Participating restaurants and hotels provide Eorte with discarded textiles including bed sheets, quilts, towels, and other soft goods, which are then redesigned and remanufactured into products like aprons, lab coats, bedding, and uniforms — returning new products made directly from the original waste provided by the end user.  

Everyone knows fashion is unsustainable, but we often forget about other categories of other textiles and soft goods. The hospitality industry alone produces enormous amounts of textile waste through linens, towels, bedding, and uniforms that are frequently discarded long before the material itself has reached the end of its usable life.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the US generated roughly 17 million tons of textile waste in 2018, with over 11 million tons ending up in landfill. Sheets, towels, and other household textiles make up a significant portion of that waste stream.

Eorte creates a first-of-its-kind platform for hospitality businesses to divert textile waste from landfill and transform it into the same categories of products these organizations already need. By repurposing existing materials into new uniforms and soft goods, Eorte reduces landfill-bound waste while helping businesses lower disposal costs and rethink how materials flow through their operations.

This conversation dives into the pursuit for real impact, the transition from employee to founder, and what it takes to build entirely new systems within older industries.

Eorte: https://www.eortebrand.com

Youtube: https://youtu.be/eEY-Prq3y0M