Madewell jeans and a JCrew coat; both companies participate in clothing recycling programs. Original post here.

It is incredible how much clothing residents of first world countries plow through every year. While many people consign or donate old clothing they no longer want, there are still many people on Earth who are uninformed, and will simply throw their old clothing in the trash bin. This means fabrics, toxic dyes, and possibly bits of metal, leather, plastic and more end up in our landfills, unable to decompose or be recycled.

At this point in time, I hope and believe that as you read this, you already understand that any amount of clothing in our landfills is not acceptable; and chances are, if you are reading this, you already know not to throw out clothing!

The readers of Bay Area Fashionista are well-educated and quite savvy. So, I am not writing this to teach you something, I am writing this post in the hopes that you are inspired to help spread the word about keeping clothing out of our landfills!

It is fairly safe to assume that you actively donate old clothing to local charities; the most common one being Goodwill. In addition to donating old clothing, it is always pennywise to sell gently used clothing and accessories from popular labels and premier designers on consignment. If you don’t already consign, I highly recommend The Real Real. They will come by your house to pick up your luxury goods for consignment, and you also have the option to mail items in to them, risk-free. It’s a great way to send an item to a new home and make some of your investment back.

Of course, we don’t have to do everything ourselves. Many retailers are getting in on the recycling game and offering discounts to customers who bring in old clothing for donation. Love that! So, without further ado, here are five fabulous stores which accept old clothing for their recycling programs.

Eileen Fisher

Eileen Fisher has a fabulous recycling program. They take back old Eileen Fisher clothing and re-new them into pieces which can be worn. The clothing is either repaired, or re-worked into an entirely new, one-of-a-kind piece. Then, it can be re-sold so it can be loved in a new home. Since 2009, Eileen Fisher has taken back over 800,000 pieces of clothing! That’s 800,000 items which did not end up in a landfill. Love that!

To reward you, Eileen Fisher gives you a $5 rewards card for each item you bring back to them. You can bring old Eileen Fisher clothing back to an Eileen Fisher Store, an Eileen Fisher Renew store, or send it in via mail. To learn more, please visit eileenfisher.com

H & M

H & M might not be the first place you think of when you think recycling. Linked to the fast fashion industry, people think of H & M as a place of excess; but it is not. They have a strong eco-chic policy which includes recycling clothing from any brand, and in any condition. H & M will re-sell old clothing in resalable condition. In addition, they will reuse fabrics to make new clothing, and they also recycle unusable fabrics into textile fibers used for things such as insulation. H & M has an incredible program, you can read all about it at HM.com.

Patagonia

Ah Patagonia! They have been caring for the environment since the beginning of time. It was one of the reasons everyone in my middle school, and high school, HAD to own a Patagonia jacket. It was the must-have of my teen years. Fast forward to 2018 and owning a Patagonia jacket is still a must-have; especially knowing how they care for the environment.

Patagonia accepts their clothing for recycling at Patagonia retail stores, participating retail partners, and old clothing can also be sent back to Patagonia per the instructions on their website. You can learn more at Patagonia.com.

Madewell and JCrew

Madewell and JCrew have partnered with Blue Jeans Go Green now through December 2018 to help collect denim for recycling. You can bring your old denim to any Madewell or JCrew store and it will be sent to Blue Jeans Go Green to be recycled into denim insulation. In addition, Madewell and JCrew will give you a coupon for $20 off your next pair of jeans. It’s fun to give and to get! You can learn more at BlueJeansGoGreen.com.

Levi’s

According to Levi’s, “Americans annually discard more than 28 billion pounds of unwanted clothing, shoes and other textiles. Charitable organizations and others collect roughly 15 percent of these items, while the remaining 85 percent — 24 billion pounds — end up in landfills . . .”

Levi’s has a great recycling program where you can bring in your clean, dry, old clothing and Levi’s will recycle it to either be re-used, or turned into other products. To thank you for bringing in clothing to be recycled, Levi’s will give you a 20% coupon for a new pair of regular priced jeans! You can learn more at Levis.com.

There are other retailers who also participate in clothing recycle programs. Be sure to check them out while shopping and feel free to leave your suggestions in the comment section below!

I would love to hear ways you recycle old clothing. Do you donate or sell everything? Are you handy with a sewing machine and make new creations out of old fabrics? Share your knowledge below!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy