Dive Brief:
- J.Crew, in partnership with technology and logistics platform SuperCircle, has launched a swimwear take back program both online and through its chain of stores across the U.S., per a press release sent to Fashion Dive.
- The program, which launched Feb. 22, allows customers to return used swimwear from any brand in exchange for a $5 credit that can be applied to any full-price men’s, women’s, or kids’ swimsuit, per the program’s website. Credits can be stacked up to $20, and swimwear can be mailed in or exchanged in-person at any J.Crew store.
- SuperCircle, which raised $7 million in a pre-Series A round last year, has previously worked on textile recycling initiatives with apparel companies including Reformation and tentree.
Dive Insight:
Through this initiative, New York-based SuperCircle will take returned swimwear in any condition and convert the old fibers into new clothing, per the company. Garments not suitable for fiber-to-fiber recycling go through the company’s open-loop recycling channels to be made into other products such as furniture batting, insulation and padding.
“With 60% of new textiles hitting landfill within 12 months of production and textile waste growing faster than plastic waste, solutions that incentivize recycling are imperative,” Chloe Songer, CEO and co-founder of SuperCircle, said in an email to Fashion Dive. “With 92 million tons of textile waste expected to hit landfill this year—the equivalent of a full trash truck each second—these kinds of solutions have never been more needed.”
SuperCircle’s partners pay the company a monthly platform usage fee and a recycling fee based on the volume collected.
Textile recycling has become an increasingly popular option for fashion brands looking to advance circular initiatives. However, startups such as Renewcell, which filed for bankruptcy last week, highlight the challenges that remain in making sustainability profitable.
J.Crew has been working to reposition itself over the past year. In January 2023, the company launched a resale program and later opened a virtual store in June. Also in 2023, J. Crew underwent layoffs, but the company did not confirm how many people were impacted.
