The North Face Expands “Clothes The Loop” Recycling Program to Give More Consumers the Power to Reduce Apparel Waste

Jan. 23, 2014 /3BL Media/ - Clothes The Loop recycling program, an initiative designed to reduce the amount of clothing and footwear headed to landfills. Through an ongoing partnership with I:CO USA, Clothes The Loop extends the lifecycle of apparel and footwear deposited by consumers by reusing items or reverting them to basic materials for manufacturing. Initially piloted at 10 The North Face retail locations beginning February 2013, Clothes The Loop will now be available in a total of 27 The North Face stores nationwide beginning January 20^th, 2014.

This expansion comes in conjunction with The North Face brand’s support of the City of San Francisco and I:CO’s mutual goal to reach 100 percent closed loop recycling of unwanted apparel and footwear by 2020, helping to get San Francisco closer to being a zero waste city.

“Protecting our natural playgrounds – both urban and beyond – is part of our heritage at The North Face and an imperative for us to continue to succeed as a business. We launched Clothes The Loop a year ago to provide an “end of use” recycling solution for apparel and footwear and we have seen fantastic results,” said Adam Mott, The North Face, Corporate Sustainability Senior Manager. “We are proud to stand with the City of San Francisco and I:CO, as well as other committed retailers, to give consumers the opportunity to recycle apparel and footwear that is no longer being used.”

The North Face Clothes The Loop bins will be set up in all 27 store locations. Some of the new locations will include Palo Alto, CA, Madison, WI, and Portland, OR. Clothes The Loop 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 of $10 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 proceeds accrued through Clothes the Loop to The Conservation Alliance, which funds community-based campaigns to protect outdoor areas for their habitat and recreation values. The North Face is a founding member of the Conservation Alliance which celebrates its 25^th year of operation in 2014. For more information about “Clothes The Loop” or The North Face’s partnership with I:CO, please visit:  www.thenorthface.com/clothestheloop.