I have posted many times on Green Lodging News about towel/linen reuse/recycling. Do you plan NOT to send tired linens to the landfill? Hopefully so. Over the years I have seen linens transformed into masks (during COVID), pajamas for kids, and donated to those in need in places such as Haiti. Did you know that Linens N Love helps hotels transform previously wasted linens into meaningful community contributions?
This week I learned about the DoubleTree by Hilton Istanbul – Moda and what it is doing with its used towels and linens. (See video.) Here is their story:
DoubleTree by Hilton Istanbul – Moda is supporting Diversey’s global Linens For Life program as part of its sustainability efforts aligned with Hilton’s Travel with Purpose strategy, giving end-of-life hotel textiles a new purpose through upcycling.
Led globally by Diversey, a Solenis company, and implemented in Türkiye in collaboration with SERA Foundation (Sustainable Economies & Resilient Access), the Linens For Life program brings discarded hotel textiles such as sheets, towels and similar materials back into the production cycle, while also supporting the active participation of women producers in economic life.
DoubleTree by Hilton Istanbul – Moda contributes to this circular model by providing its end-of-life textiles to the program and bringing the resulting products back into the guest experience.
Tablet Sleeves, Tote Bags & Cat Toys
End-of-life textiles are given a new purpose through the craftsmanship of women producers, who transform them into functional products such as tablet sleeves, tote bags and cat toys.
The designs also carry elements inspired by the hotel and its destination. The DoubleTree Cookie, one of the brand’s most recognizable symbols, is incorporated into the tote bag design, while the cats that are an inseparable part of the street culture of Moda and Kadıköy inspire the cat toy.
The finished products are gifted to guests by the hotel, bringing them back into the hotel experience. In this way, textiles that were once part of the hotel’s daily operations gain a new purpose instead of becoming waste, creating a circular value chain that extends from the hotel to production, and from production back to the hotel and its guests.
Implemented in Türkiye in collaboration with SERA Foundation, the Linens For Life program positions women not simply as beneficiaries, but as active participants in the production and value creation process.
By combining the repurposing of end-of-life textiles with a model that supports women’s participation in production and economic life, the program contributes to creating both environmental and social value within the same value chain.
Creating Greater Value for the Resources That are Used
Tunay Erdal, General Manager of DoubleTree by Hilton Istanbul – Moda, commented on the program: “Sustainability, for us, is not only about making our operations more responsible; it is also about considering how we can create greater value for the resources we use and the community we are part of. Through the Linens For Life program, we greatly value seeing our end-of-life textiles given a new life through the craftsmanship of women and then returning to our guests as entirely new products. We especially wanted each product to carry a small touch of our hotel and Moda. From our DoubleTree Cookie to the cats of Moda, these details allow us to offer our guests not simply a gift, but a story of transformation and craftsmanship. Each piece carries the care, craftsmanship, and the power of creating value anew.”
From giving end-of-life materials a new purpose to supporting initiatives that benefit local communities, the hotel aims to make sustainability an integral part of its daily operations and the guest experience.
Your thoughts? Got your own towel/linen resurrection story to tell? I can be reached at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
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