Timberland Partners With Community Recycling to Amplify the Impact Of Gently Used Footwear, Apparel and Accessories

September 28, 2018 /3BL Media/ - With a longstanding commitment to protect and restore the outdoors, Timberland constantly seeks ways to make its products responsibly and minimize its impact on the environment. Today, in partnership with socially-conscious recycling company Community Recycling, the brand announces an easy way for consumers to recycle their gently used clothing, footwear, and accessories – from Timberland or any brand – to create both environmental and social value.

According to Timberland’s spring Wardrobe Values survey, nearly three-fifths (58%) of Americans clean out their closets at least once a season to make room for new clothes; however, only 28 percent recycle their old clothes. One-in-four Americans (24%) simply throw them away, discarding some 81 pounds of clothing and related items each year – which accounts for 26  billion pounds annually¹ – to ultimately end up in landfills. 

Beginning this week, consumers can easily recycle their gently used footwear, apparel and accessories through Community Recyling, either online or at one of 65 Timberland^® stores across the U.S. Online shoppers simply pack up items they wish to donate in a box or bag, print a free shipping label, and post their packaged recyclables at a local UPS drop-off location. Or, they can visit a Timberland store and drop off their gently used items in a shipping box sleeve. In addition to doing good, participants receive 10 percent off their next Timberland purchase.

After being sent to Community Recycling's facilities in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, the gently used items are sorted into two streams – reuse and recycling. Most (roughly 95 percent) are appropriate for reuse and are distributed to Community Recycling’s network of entrepreneurs either in the U.S. or one of 50 countries around the world, who sell them and create a livelihood for themselves and their families. Items earmarked for recycling (roughly 5 percent) make their way to vendors who grind them down and reform them into materials that can be used for insulation, carpet padding, industrial rags and more. Whichever stream the items follow, they contribute to helping people, communities and the planet.

“As a company of Earthkeepers, we care about the entire lifecycle of our products – from the materials we use to the people who make them and through to their end of life,” says Jim Pisani, global brand president, Timberland. “This partnership with Community Recycling expands upon the many efforts we have in place to work toward a more circular economy It also creates environmental, social and economic value for people around the world, which is always a win.”

¹ according to a 2016 study by global thrift store chain, Savers

Since more than 70 percent of the world depends on second-hand clothing and accessories, recycled items drive social good, and support millions of people in need. Community Recycling’s mission is to highlight the personal experience inherent in recycling clothing, shoes and accessories. 

“Our partnership with Timberland promotes reuse, which not only keeps material from the landfills and delivers meaningful environmental benefits, but also delivers a human impact in the process that is powerful and sustainable,” says Ira Baseman, president of Community Recycling. “Reuse connects people, extends the life of our belongings and the purpose they carry and makes recycling personal.”

To learn more about Timberland’s commitment to reduce its footprint, and its partnership with Community Recycling, visit timberland.com/recycling.         

² Source: the balance, 2018

About Timberland

Timberland is a global leader in the design, manufacturing and marketing of premium footwear, apparel and accessories for the outdoor lifestyle. Best known for its original yellow boot introduced in 1973, Timberland today outfits consumers from toe-to-head, with versatile collections that reflect the brand’s rich heritage of craftsmanship, function and style. Timberland markets lifestyle products under the Timberland^® and Timberland Boot Company^® brands, and industrial footwear and workwear under the Timberland PRO^® brand. Its products are sold throughout the world in leading department and specialty stores as well as company-owned retail locations and online. Timberland’s dedication to making quality products is matched by an unwavering commitment to environmental and social responsibility – to make it better for its products, the outdoors, and communities around the globe. To learn more about Timberland, a brand of VF Corporation (NYSE: VFC), please visit timberland.com or follow us @timberland.

About Community Recycling
Community Recycling is a socially conscious, for-profit recycling company that offers a portfolio of consumer-based clothing and accessory recycling programs, each focused on reuse and to the diversion of usable items in landfills. Community Recycling's mission, People Recycling for People, connects people, communities and cultures around the world with a rewarding and measurable recycling and sustainability experience.