Circular Thrift: Reducing Textile Waste, Empowering Communities
Led by Lisa Goldsand — sustainability expert, educator, and circular fashion advocate.
About Founder, Lisa Goldsand
About Me
I bring more than 30 years of experience in global fashion production, where I witnessed firsthand how the industry’s linear model strains people and the planet. That perspective led me to focus my career on sustainability, textile waste, and building practical circular systems that make reuse the norm rather than the exception.
I founded Circular Thrift to turn that mission into action. Through the initiative, I created Ohio’s first textile-waste recycling pilot in partnership with the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO), helping communities divert thousands of pounds of textiles from landfills and demonstrating a scalable model for circular infrastructure in the state.
Today, I’m a frequent speaker and panelist for organizations including the Ohio EPA, The Ohio State University, Rotary, and regional solid waste authorities — sharing clear, accessible strategies for reducing textile waste at the community level. My work centers on empowering local action, shifting consumer behavior, and inspiring a more responsible, circular approach to fashion.
MISSION STATEMENT
Every community is facing a growing challenge: textile waste is rising faster than local systems can manage, and most garments still end up in landfills despite being reusable, repairable, or recyclable. The fashion industry’s linear model leaves municipalities, families, and the environment carrying the burden — and Ohio is no exception. To create meaningful change, communities need accessible, practical pathways to reduce waste and extend the life of clothing.
Circular Thrift exists to build those pathways. Through community clothing swaps, mending workshops, consulting services for solid waste districts, and education for schools and nonprofits, we help people understand how simple, local actions can dramatically reduce textile waste. Our work also includes designing and implementing community pilots — such as Ohio’s first textile-waste recycling pilot with SWACO — that test real solutions and provide data for long-term infrastructure planning.
Our vision is a truly circular fashion ecosystem in Ohio: one where residents know how to reuse and repair, organizations have the tools to lead local initiatives, and municipalities have the data, partnerships, and systems needed to divert textiles at scale. By focusing on community engagement, behavior change, and practical circular design, we aim to make Ohio a leader in textile sustainability and a model for states across the country.
Featured Media
Interview with Ayana Ames
The Case of Circular Thrift - An Innovative, Community Based Start-up
Axios Columbus
Waste Dive Magazine
Farm to Fashion: Natural fiber footprints and futures - OSU
Untangling Circularity Podcast - Circular Partnerships
Green Champions Podcast
Circular Thrift - BPL
Columbus Monthly
Designing Circular Economy Strategies - OSU
Untangling Circularity Podcast
Columbus Underground
Worthington Spotlight
Climate Change and the Fashion Industry - Bexley Public Library
614 Magazine
Bexley Magazine
A Personal Note
The circular economy matters to me because I’ve seen firsthand how our current fashion system strains people and the environment. After 30 years in global production, I knew there had to be a more community-centered way to engage with clothing — one that values reuse, repair, and shared responsibility.
I started Circular Thrift to make those solutions accessible at a local level. When neighbors swap clothing, when a student learns to mend, or when a city launches a textile-waste pilot, you can feel the shift. Small actions create momentum, and they empower communities to lead their own sustainability work.
My hope is to make circular practices easy, visible, and part of everyday life — in Ohio and across the country. I’m committed to helping build the systems, partnerships, and education efforts that make this possible, one neighborhood and one project at a time.