Maya Cain
Yale University, MS Environmental Management
H.H.H. Safety & Spirit of the Waste Industry Scholar 2024
Driving Economic Development with Textile and Fashion Waste in Central Ohio
The issue of textile and fashion waste in Central Ohio presents both a significant environmental challenge and an opportunity for economic growth. In October 2023, my sister and I published the Central Ohio Textile and Fashion Waste Report, which summarizes a 1.5-year study of the region’s textile waste. Building on this work, my research will explore innovative ways to reduce textile waste and create economic opportunities. With landfills in the Northeast nearing capacity, Ohio’s low disposal costs and central location have made it a top destination for waste imports, ranking fifth in the U.S. A significant portion of this waste is textiles, with 46,000 tons annually ending up in the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill. The low disposal fees offer little incentive for recycling. Columbus, home to major fashion brands like Victoria’s Secret and Abercrombie & Fitch, is the third-largest U.S. city for fashion designers but lacks large-scale circular fashion solutions. As waste regulations tighten in the EU and U.S., there is a growing opportunity for the region to help fashion and textile organizations transition to more circular practices. The textile recycling market is projected to reach $9.9 billion by 2030. In 2020, the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) launched the Green Economy Business Park, a 350-acre site designed to foster research, technology, and advanced manufacturing, including textile recycling. Central Ohio’s substantial textile waste, vibrant fashion scene, and supportive infrastructure make it an ideal hub for textile recycling innovators. My research will outline how the region can advance textile waste management and drive economic growth by identifying textile waste innovators globally, conducting needs assessments to support these innovators, and collaborating with local economic agencies to attract them to Central Ohio.
Biography
Maya Caine graduated from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, majoring in Information Systems with a minor in Anthropology. After graduation, she pursued a career in tech and corporate strategy while also becoming an entrepreneur. Maya began her career as a Solutions Engineer at Salesforce and later transitioned to Corporate Strategy roles at Bath and Body Works and Nike. At Nike, Maya aligned much of her strategy work with various circularity initiatives, including setting new standards for textile waste reduction in Nike’s league contracts and developing strategies to combat waste colonialism in the Global South. Alongside her corporate career, she dedicated her entrepreneurial efforts to advancing the circular fashion economy in Ohio through her venture, Mive Labs. Her inaugural project at Mive Labs involved a 1.5-year city-wide research study on textile and fashion waste for the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio. The resulting Central Ohio Textile and Fashion Waste Report identified regional textile waste sources and highlighted the economic potential of innovative waste management. Maya is now a graduate student in Environmental Management at the Yale School of the Environment, concentrating on Industrial Ecology and Green Chemistry. Her anticipated graduation date is May 2026, and her post-graduate plans center on circular design and textile waste management.
