Westin Hotels’ Project Rise: ThreadForward initiative upcycles bed sheets to create the pajamas for children in need.
Last year, Westin Hotels & Resorts challenged staff from all of its properties to come up with ideas for campaigns that fit within its six pillars of well-being: sleep well, eat well, move well, feel well, work well, and sleep well.
“We wanted [the project] to be driven by associates at the hotels and the community,” says Brian Povinelli, SVP, Global Brand Leader. “We went out with a challenge to associates and asked what initiatives were happening in their properties and what opportunities did they see.”
From the 325 entries that were received, Westin chose (and funded) an idea to repurpose discarded bed linens from its properties to make pajamas that would be distributed to children in need (the pajamas are also available for purchase in Westin’s online store). The campaign, known as Project Rise: ThreadForward, uses sheets that are at the end of their lifecycle or have been discarded due to tears in material. The sheets were sorted, processed and reweaved into a new, first-of-its-kind thread used to create the pajamas.
As of February, Westin had collected approximately 30,000 pounds of materials from hotels participating in the program, 83% of which has gone toward pajama production and packaging. On April 16, nonprofit Delivering Good began distributing the pajamas, as well as socks that were upcycled through the same process, to children in need in Toronto, Mexico City, Cape Town, South Africa and the Northside Center for Child Development in New York City.
“We learned from Delivering Good that pajamas are one of the most requested items of clothing sought by charitable organizations,” Povinelli says. “Pajamas were the perfect extension of Westin’s commitment to good sleep habits.”
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