This Classic Outdoor Brand is Giving Old Boots a New Life
Classic American footwear brand Timberland, is on a new mission to reduce the negative impact of the clothing industry on the environment.
According to FastCompany, the brand is encouraging their customers to return their old boots and clothing in order to enable them to be recycled into new products.
TimberLoop is an exciting green initiative!
The World Economic Forum identified fashion and its supply chain as responsible for 5% of the global total of greenhouse gas emissions, making it the highest polluter after food and construction. This pollution mostly comes from the fibers used to make the clothing, especially from synthetic fibers made from non-renewable polyester and nylon, which have become more popular in the fashion industry over the years according to Australia’s Climate Council. This problem is only going to continue as fast fashion remains in demand. So companies like Timberland are taking a stand.
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Timberland launched a new initiative at the start of 2022 called Timberloop. Its goal is to give new life to old products and with it, reduce clothing waste. Through this program, consumers are encouraged to return used products to be disassembled and refurbished into new boots, clothing and accessories. Timberloop will soon have a dedicated website to sell the used and upcycled products, according to a Timberland press release.
Circularity helps to reduce emissions
Through the Timberloop initiative, Timberland hopes to become a company operating to a circular business model, according to FastCompany. A circular model happens when a business creates a supply chain that uses its own recycled products to resource new ones. In this way, products stay in circulation minimizing the strain on natural resources.
Timberland is partnering with experts at ReCircled, a startup that describes itself as the infrastructure for fashion in the circular economy, according to GreenBiz media, to reach its goal. ReCircled’s aim is to keep apparel from filling landfills and keep it in rotation in the supply chain.
Timberland will send its reused items to be taken apart and processed in ReCircled’s 800,00 square foot factory in Nebraska. After refurbishing the old materials, RedCircled will send them out to different industrial recycler suppliers and Timberland will resource their materials from them, GreenBiz reports.
Timberland plans to unveil its first shoe made completely of recyclable materia, the Timberloop Trekker, this spring. Its newest shoes will be durable but are being designed to be easier to disassemble. This will ultimately make the process of circularity faster and easier, according to FastCompany.
Timberland needs its consumers to help make its initiative possible
Even with expert collaboration and great implementation, Timberland knows this endeavor will require a community effort from its consumers. As an incentive, the company is offering 10 percent off future purchases for those who return their worn Timberland products. Customers can download a free-shipping label and return their items to any Timberland store, reports FastCompany.
It’s still uncertain how consumers will embrace the new program but Timberland and RecCircled are coming together in the hope that it will captivate them to care for the environment. It all boils down to a shift in consumer behavior, stemming from the realization that clothes are recyclable items.
Although the clothing industry is still not there yet, companies like Timberland and ReCircled are taking a great leap in the right direction.
