From Textile Waste to Community Wealth

Overview

The Industrial Commons (TIC), a network of workforce and arts programs in western North Carolina founded in 2015, demonstrates how a rural community can reclaim its manufacturing legacy while creating local economic opportunities that are accessible and regenerative. Following the closure of textile factories in the 90s and the subsequent loss of thousands of jobs to offshoring, TIC began reimagining the region’s future by transforming textile waste into value, fostering worker ownership, and strengthening community connections through arts and culture.

Rather than addressing challenges through isolated interventions, TIC has built an interconnected model for rural economic development with support from JFF’s Climate-Resilient Employees for a Sustainable Tomorrow (CREST) initiative. Material Return converts textile scraps worth pennies into yarn worth hundreds of dollars. Opportunity Threads creates pathways to worker ownership and leadership while Work in Burke connects residents to training and employment opportunities. Through TOSS, TIC also uses arts-based engagement to foster civic participation and support community-driven workforce development.

Amid shifting federal priorities and funding uncertainty, TIC has maintained continuity of services and minimized disruptions to participant training, supported in part by CREST’s unrestricted funding. This stability has enabled continued growth across programs. TIC’s Work in Burke OPT-IN initiative, which provides recent high school graduates with an eight-week workforce exploration internship, has expanded employer participation from 14 to 38 businesses and grown its mentor network to more than 40 individuals. This summer, 60 interns are participating in placements, aided by a new school engagement strategy that resulted in 10% of the graduating class enrolling at kickoff.

TIC is also helping build the next generation of manufacturing talent through its Apparel and Textile Fundamentals curriculum, developed in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and textile educators statewide. More than 80 instructors have been onboarded, over 70 trained through in-person events, and the curriculum is expected to reach 5,000 students annually. Additionally, TIC has broadened access to its Industrial Sewing Program through an evening and weekend schedule at the Morganton campus, as well as offering classes in Spanish, culminating in the successful graduation of the inaugural cohort of eight participants and successful job placement of two students.

TIC’s impact across these programs is reflected in the experience of Jacob Lail, an OPT-IN alumnus who recently transitioned from an internship at Material Return to a full-time role as a Material Handler. During his internship, he also completed TIC’s Industrial Sewing Program and developed valuable technical skills in textiles and materials handling. Despite transportation challenges, Jacob remained committed to his career goals and continues to thrive in his position nearly one year later.

Together, these initiatives create pathways to both economic opportunity and social transformation, positioning The Industrial Commons as a model of rural resilience, innovation, and community-led workforce development.

Student Voices, Expanding Futures

For participants, TIC’s model is not experienced as a set of separate programs, but as a network of relationships and opportunities that helps them imagine a future for themselves in western North Carolina. Students described finding the program through school-based outreach, teachers, and peers, then discovering that it could offer more than just a summer placement.

Nigel, a participant of Work in Burke’s OPT-IN program, shared that before joining, he was “working in various fast-food restaurants” and “thinking of going into a factory,” underscoring how many young people come to TIC at an in-between moment, looking for clearer direction and better options. For some, the experience created immediate clarity about what they wanted next. For others, the impact was more transformative. Josh, who initially participated in OPT-IN and is now with the Work in Burke team, reflected that OPT IN “completely changed my future,” capturing how TIC’s workforce model helps young people connect training and work experience to a stronger sense of direction and possibility.

Just as importantly, students described TIC’s approach as deeply relational. Participants spoke about mentors and staff who helped them manage stress, stay engaged, and navigate barriers ranging from scheduling to transportation. Nigel said the program helped him “get out of [his] comfort zone,” while Yesenia, who came to TIC through the STRIVE scholarship program and Work in Burke, emphasized how meaningful it was to be recognized in her placement: “the fact that she knows my name, it feels good.”

These reflections reinforce what makes TIC’s model distinctive: workforce development is paired with real care, trusted relationships, and consistent support, making opportunity feel both practical and personal.

Across their reflections, students emphasized the human side of TIC’s larger theory of change. The same ecosystem that includes employer partnerships, curriculum, technical training, and expanded access also helps young people build confidence, networks, and momentum toward longer-term goals.

Alexander, another OPT-IN participant, described the value of being able to put his learning to use, while students across programs spoke about gaining skills, feeling “seen” and beginning to move toward a better future. Their reflections also indicate the potential impact of this model beyond a single community. As Jacob, an OPT-IN participant shares, “Hopefully we have more Work in Burke programs everywhere.” In that sense, their stories echo TIC’s broader vision: creating pathways to economic opportunity that are not only locally accessible, but rooted in dignity, belonging, and community wealth.