In 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated that roughly 22 billion pounds of post-consumer textile waste ended up in landfills. Hoping to reduce the amount of clothing and footwear that’s added to those piles, The North Face announced its new Clothes The Loop recycling program.
Through a partnership with I:CO USA, the Clothes The Loop program extends the lifecycle of apparel and footwear deposited by consumers by reusing items or reverting them to basic materials for manufacturing. Specially marked Clothes The Loop bins can be found in 10 participating The North Face retail stores, including Chicago (Michigan Ave.), New York and San Francisco. In order to have the largest impact, the Clothes The Loop program accepts used apparel and footwear from any brand, no matter the condition. This includes anything from t-shirts and beanies to hiking boots and sandals. Apparel and footwear contributions automatically earn customers one discount voucher per day to be used towards purchase of The North Face products.
Items collected through Clothes The Loop are sent to an I:CO recycling center where they are sorted into more than 400 categories and designated either to be resold or recycled into raw materials such as insulation, carpet padding and stuffing for toys. The North Face will donate any proceeds accrued through the Clothes the Loop pilot to The Conservation Alliance.
“By making it easy and rewarding to bring in these unwanted items, The North Face Clothes the Loop Program empowers consumers to get involved and make a difference,” said Stephan Wiegand, CEO of I:CO.
Through their sorting and grading infrastructure, I:CO produces less than 2% residual waste. I:CO’s goal is to reach 100 percent closed loop recycling of unwanted apparel and footwear by 2020, says the company.
