Shoes
Why recycle clothes
95% of the textile we make can be recycled into new textile, but we recycle only 1%.
The fast fashion market has been flooded with low cost, low quality, low durability clothing. The rapid obsolescence of inventories with each new fashion wave, seasonal or otherwise triggered, has made the industry the 5th largest contributor of green house gases. 6% of ALL green house gases human kind emits.
"What is the point of any individual action? What dent will it make?" One might conclude it is so insignificant, that it is not worth the effort. But the outcome of collective inaction is not in doubt. Somewhat like voting in a democracy.
How to recycle clothes
Our extended definition of "Recycle" includes the idea of keeping clothes in circulation longer, through repair, reuse, donation or reselling. Recycling garments is inefficient and inadequate even in the most conducive of circumstances, and it is very difficult to parse corporate greenwashing from facts. Instead, extending the life of our clothes is as good as or better than recycling, at least in the short term. It keeps them from landfills for longer and also allows time for the recycling ecosystem to get their act together.
Make money by reselling your gently used clothes, donate to those who desperately need them, prevent them from ending up in landfills.
Check out the curated list of options here. For more options see the Directory links below. Recycling options are rapidly evolving. Revisit us to the stay in touch with the latest.
Clothes By The Numbers
BY THE NUMBERS
...
70 lbs
Annual average purchase of clothes by an individual American
1%
Estimated percentage of textiles recycled into new textile globally
73%
Percentage of clothes that end up in Landfills
95%
Percentage of textiles that can be recycled into new textile globally
6%
Garnents as a percentage of Municipal solid waste in the US
20%
Textile industries contribution to total industrial pollution
2.5 years
Years a human can survive on the water required to produce one cotton shirt (2700 litres or 713 gallons)
6%
% of total global Green House Gases contributed by the Apparel industry
Ready?
Regardless how to choose to sell your clothes, ensure they are laundered or dry-cleaned and as well presented as you can make them. “Button buttons, zip zippers and fold them like a store would”.
Local initiatives and neighborhood donation drives might be an effective and convenient way of donating your garments. The lists below gives you some control over the cause you want to support. Several names under the Returns listing on this page also end up donating what you return. We have removed several interesting listings that shut down during Covid.
If you go for manufacturer take back programs, there is some level of greenwashing, but these and other companies are making the right moves. Most of them over produce, no declared plans of what they do to clothes taken back and also not everything is Ok for takeback. If clothes get wet during shipping they are discarded for fear of mildew.
Click on the company logos to get to their websites
Specialty – Coats only
J. Crew, Burlington Coat Factory, One Warm will give you a discount in in return for your old coat.
In store discount.
The Northface
Their “Clothes the Loop” program accepts gently used clothing and footwear at The North Face Retail and Outlet Stores. Your recycled items are distributed by their non-profit partner, Soles4Souls.
$10 reward toward your next purchase of $100 or more at The North Face.
Patagonia
Patagonia accepts all its products in any condition for recycling or repurposing at our retail stores or at our Service Center: Patagonia Service Center - Recycle Program, 8550 White Fir St, Reno, NV 89523-8939.
They also have a Take-Back Program to upcycle old Patagonia T-shirts into Tee-Cycle collection using Infinna™ Fiber, which can be recycled again and again.
No compensation.
Levi Strauss
Jeans, denim shorts, and Trucker Jackets in good condition accepted. Items deemed unwearable are properly disposed. Maximum 5 products per appointment.
Credits range from $5 to $30 based on your item’s age and original retail price.
Eileen Fisher
They buy back their garments and reworks the material into new merchandise, under its Renew brand.
$5 for each item.
H&M
Drop off at garment collecting points in almost all stores. Your items are then sorted and recirculated according to their condition:
Rewear – garments that can be worn again will be sold as second-hand clothes.
Repurposed – old clothes and textiles will be turned into other products, such as cleaning cloths.
Recycle – everything that can’t be resold or reused will be turned into textile fibres for use in new products.
No compensation.
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