Discarded army and police uniforms are being recycled into construction material for government buildings in a trial to promote sustainability.

The army and the police produce 600 tonnes of old clothing a year, which ends up in incineration ovens, wasting high quality raw material, the defence ministry said on Tuesday.

It has now joined forces with the government buildings agency RVB to recycle 120 tonnes of discarded textiles, turning them into construction panels for use on walls and facades instead of plasterboard.

The move, a first in the Netherlands, means the RVB will cut back on resources and CO2 emissions and increase the use of circular building materials. In addition, the initiative will contribute to combating the growing mountain of discarded textiles.

“As the defense ministry, we are responsible for the complete life cycle of our materials. Uniforms that are no longer used in operations will now get a new destination as building material and that is a more sustainable use of our resources,” armed forces uniform chief Koert Jan Eefting said.

The scheme will run for a year and if successful will be extended to three years, so commercial companies have a chance to participate.