Outdoor apparel and equipment retailer, The North Face, said it is expanding its Clothes the Loop recycling program to all of its 83 U.S. retail and outlet stores and aims to recycle more than 100,000 pounds of apparel and footwear this year.
The company will also host a campaign in stores and on social media to encourage consumers to recycle their unwanted apparel and footwear of any brand in any clean, dry condition.
“We’re committed to creating responsible products–both in how we design them, and also in how long they last,” said Adam Mott, director of sustainability for The North Face. “We’re expanding Clothes the Loop to help find a second life for pre-owned apparel and footwear that might otherwise go to waste. We hope this campaign gets people thinking about the lifecycle of the products they buy and how they can take simple steps to help protect our environment.”
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According to the Environmental Protection Agency, about 24 billion pounds of post consumer textile waste, or roughly 70 pounds of textile per person, ends up in landfills each year. This accounts for almost 5 percent of all landfill space and the retailer says this amount is growing. If 300 million Americans recycled only one T-shirt, that would save 210 billion gallons of water and keep up to 1 million pounds of CO2 out of the earth’s atmosphere.
Through an ongoing partnership with I:Collect–a global solution provider for apparel, footwear, and textiles reusing or recycling–Clothes the Loop extends the life of apparel and footwear donated by customers. Once the items are donated, they are sent to a recycling center where they are sorted into hundreds of categories and designated to be re-worn, re-purposed or recycled into raw materials to be used for other products including, insulation, carpet padding, stuffing for toys or even fiber for new apparel and footwear.
To celebrate Earth Day April 22, for each customer who donates items to a Clothes the Loop bin from April 20–26, the retailer will donate $5 to the Conservation Alliance, which funds community-based campaigns to protect outdoor areas for their habitat and recreational aspects. During this time and the rest of the year, contributors will also earn one discount voucher per day to be used toward any The North Face purchase.
As part of its social media campaign, the retailer encourages customers to post a photo of themselves recycling their products on Instagram and Twitter using the hashtags #ClothesTheLoop and #TNFContest. Anyone who tags a friend telling them to participate will be entered in a contest to win a $100 gift card.
Through the Clothes the Loop program, which was first launched in February 2013, more than 14,540 pounds of apparel and footwear have so far been diverted from landfills.
“We have seen fantastic results with this program to date and have received hundreds of requests from customers to expand it,” Mott said. “We are excited about this momentum and continuing to scale effective apparel and footwear recycling for more responsible consumption.”
