About ReCoat
Powered by the McMaster Okanagan Office of Health and Well-Being, ReCoat was founded at McMaster University and is a leading advocate for sustainability.
We collect lightly used lab coats and goggles from graduating students and redistribute them to incoming students for free, promoting the circular economy.
Our Mission & Values
Our Mission
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Improve economic equity by providing free lab resources;
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Increase safety through sanitization of materials; and
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Contribute to global reduction goals by minimizing textile waste.
Our Values
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Reduce: Instead of contributing to the climate crisis by having students purchasing a new lab coat and goggles, ReCoat reduces textile waste by offering up-cycled lab materials at no cost.
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Support: A university education does not need to break the bank! To improve economic equity, ReCoat provides all of its supplies completely FREE. This way, we alleviate financial stress from students and enable them to make effective purchases.
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Empower: To meet global reduction targets, we all must work together. Empowering students to take part in small actions can have huge impacts. What sustainable practice can you implement?
ReCoat began at McMaster University in 2022, founded by Isaac Begun.
Each year, graduating students would retire their barely-used lab coats — often relegating them to storage or sending them to landfill. At the same time, incoming students were purchasing brand-new lab coats they’d only wear a handful of times.
ReCoat was created to close this loop — by collecting and redistributing gently used lab coats, we keep them in circulation and out of the waste stream.
Meet the ReCoat Team
The team behind our multi-campus initiative.
Isaac Begun
Founder & Director,
McMaster University
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Jyot Adhvaryu
Social Media Director,
McMaster University
Melitta Oppenheim
Director of Outreach,
John Jay College
Maggie Markus
Director,
McMaster University