EcoGrad

We aim to make graduation more sustainable by encouraging the reuse, resale, and donation of caps, gowns, and accessories. By reducing demand for new polyester-based regalia, we help lower pollution and limit waste. Our platform connects graduates so they can celebrate their achievements without compromising the planet.

Every year, millions of students graduate wearing caps, gowns, and stoles made from 100% polyester. Most of this regalia is only worn once, then discarded, contributing to growing textile waste and environmental harm. As past and future graduating students, we recognize our role in the overconsumption of graduation regalia, which is often purchased for a single use and then discarded. Our mission is to reduce textile waste and make graduation ceremonies more accessible by providing a platform where students can donate, resell, or reuse caps, gowns, and stoles. We believe that every student, regardless of financial background, should be able to celebrate their achievements without facing unnecessary environmental or economic burdens.

Why donate?

Polyester is one of the least sustainable fabrics. It's made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a material derived from crude oil which is a non-renewable fossil fuel (Stanes et al, 2017). The production process uses a lot of energy and chemicals, and the fabric doesn't easily break down. Once discarded, polyester often ends up in landfills or is incinerated, releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere (Palacios-Mateo et al., 2021).

Polyester fibers and PET plastic pellets, left to right.

Source

On a microscopic level, polyester sheds microplastics during washing and after disposal. These microplastics can make their way into oceans, where they are consumed by marine life and harm entire ecosystems (Palacios-Mateo et al., 2021). Humans also inhale and ingest microplastics daily, especially those living near factories or working in the textile industry.

Despite its environmental impact, polyester remains popular because it's cheap to produce and designed to mimic natural fibers like cotton (Stanes et al, 2017). But with low recycling rates and high levels of pollution, it's clear that the current model is not sustainable.

Modern graduation attire began with the 1895 Intercollegiate Code of Academic Costume, which was based on Columbia University's dress codes and is now widely used in the United States (IRAC 1895). Academic dress originated in 12th- and 13th-century Europe, where long gowns and hoods helped students and professors stay warm in unheated buildings (Sullivan 1997). While European universities still use a variety of colors to represent different fields of study, the United States standardized graduation attire in the late 1800s with black gowns and specific trimmings to indicate majors (NYT 1896).

Today, most graduation gowns are made from polyester, a lightweight and durable fabric that can be produced quickly and economically to meet rising demand (Keeper 2025). Historically, gowns were made from silk and heavier fabrics when education was only available to the wealthy. As higher education became more accessible, polyester became the standard for mass production (Wolgast 2009). This shift has created a large environmental impact, which is why reusing, reselling, and donating graduation regalia is so important.