At the core of the research and work being conducted at the University of North Texas, passion, purpose and service are the guiding forces that inspire innovation and unlock new possibilities. For Iva Jestratijevic, an associate professor of merchandising and digital retailing in the UNT College of Merchandising, Hospitality and Tourism, and her team of dedicated volunteers that fuels the Zero Waste Textile Initiative, these guiding forces are the pillars of the work they’ve been doing over the past two years.

“I launched the Zero Textile Waste Initiative here on campus to collect, reuse, recycle, upcycle and divert textiles from local landfills,” Jestratijevic says. “Through the help of a local municipality here in Denton, we were able to purchase bins and distribute them across campus.”

These bins collect clothing donations from the community before they are processed and cleaned by the students, assessed for potential upcycling and re-directed.

Since its official launch in March 2024, the Zero Waste Textile Initiative has engaged students, faculty and staff volunteer participation to collect and sort over 7,000 pounds of textiles and apparel. Much of these materials were diverted through on-campus clothing events and donations to partner organizations, such as the Diamond Eagle Student Resource Center’s clothing closet — creating a tangible difference in the community.

At the most recent clothes sorting event in September 2025, the initiative collected and processed more than 2,500 pounds of clothing, shoes and accessories in three days, thanks to the help of 57 campus volunteers.

“Since its start, this initiative has engaged more than 1,000 student volunteers and all participants expressed enthusiasm that this project will continue,” Jestratijevic says. “ZWTI is beneficial for providing hope that programs like this can work and bring awareness to the issue of textile waste on a community and national level.” 

Madeline Blackburn, a graduate student studying consumer analytics and merchandising, has been involved in the initiative since its inception, having been enrolled in one of Jestratijevic’s undergraduate courses at the time.

“In the beginning it was just a few of us and sometimes our families or friends — anyone we could get to come pick up the bins,” Blackburn says. “We grew exponentially after our first Community Closet event, where we hand clothes out at the University Union. People were just so thrilled and grateful to basically be able to come shop for free and they wanted to get involved and it seems free clothes is a pretty good incentive.”

By receiving garments through the Zero Waste Textile Initiative at events like the Community Closet instead of purchasing new items, students have collectively saved over $35,000, further demonstrating the program’s impactful support and sustainable approach. 

As for positive environmental implications, the initiative has saved 29,568 kg of carbon emissions — equivalent to the amount needed to manufacture 5,752 garments — while conserving 452,160 megajoules of energy, which is enough to power 11.6 U.S. households for a year. Additionally, it saved 1,045,749 liters of water, or enough to cover the water usage of 35 Americans for an entire year.

Rosalyn “Rosie” Zuniga is a merchandising and digital retailing undergraduate and research fellow in the UNT Honors College who works as the project manager of the Zero Waste Textile Initiative. Through a grant from the We Mean Green Fund, she is currently the only paid student in the program.

Zuniga says that with further funding, the initiative can expand its reach and pay even more dedicated students.

“I feel like I’ve been able to get so much more done, and I feel like the project has really grown since we got that initial funding,” Zuniga says. “So being able to get more would be amazing. If we were able to be efficient with this initial funding, imagine how much more we could do? We have so much potential for growth and I just really believe in what we’re doing.”

With additional funding, there are also hopes for making upgrades to their cleaning process through the addition of washer and dryer units. Other items that would support the expansion of the initiative’s efforts include a textile shredder, laundry carts, crafting and storage supplies and rotary cutters.

Besides benefitting the local and greater North Texas region, the Zero Waste Textile Initiative supports student success through experiential learning opportunities for students in the College of Merchandising, Hospitality and Tourism, creating research opportunities for graduate students and increasing accessibility to sustainable and affordable clothing.

“Supporting sustainability and educating people, as well as making sustainability more accessible,” Zuniga says. “A lot of people want to be more sustainable, but they either don’t have the resources, or they don’t know how to get started. So, in being able to give people those opportunities to get involved within the community and volunteer, and make it fun, too.”