There has been a TEXAID sorting facility in Schattdorf/UR since 1982. The partner organizations recognized the enormous added value of having the textiles processed professionally in Switzerland. The know-how needed to plan and run a sorting facility came from a private enterprise, which also invested capital in the facility.
For quite some time the capacity of the sorting plant only sufficed for barely two thirds of the incoming collected goods. Therefore TEXAID built an ultra-modern, computerized sorting facility at the existing site in Schattdorf. Since early 2008, the sorting team classifies each textile piece at ergonomically adapted workplaces using headsets. The computer control then monitors it on the conveyor belt, from where it is blown to the correct container by an air blast.
The sorting facility in Schattdorf and the subsidiary in Zurich currently employ about 60 specially trained staff. They examine every item for quality, composition, material, fashion aspects, and further usability. In this way it can be guaranteed that approximately 90% of all clothes, shoes, and household textiles can be either worn or recycled.