New York’s fashion retailer, J.Crew, in collaboration with technology and logistics platform SuperCircle, has introduced a swimwear recycling program accessible both online and at its chain of stores nationwide. The program enables customers to exchange used swimwear from any brand for a US $ 5 credit, applicable towards the purchase of full-price men’s, women’s, or kids’ swimsuits, as detailed on the program’s official website. Customers can accumulate credits up to US $ 20, and the swimwear can be either sent by mail or exchanged in person at any J.Crew store.
In an effort led by New York-based SuperCircle, returned swimwear in any condition will be repurposed by converting the old fibres into new clothing items. Garments unsuitable for fibre-to-fibre recycling will undergo processing through the company’s open-loop recycling channels to be transformed into various products such as furniture batting, insulation, and padding.
Chloe Songer, CEO and co-founder of SuperCircle, emphasised the urgency of recycling solutions in light of alarming textile waste statistics. With a substantial portion of new textiles ending up in landfills within a year of production and textile waste surpassing plastic waste growth rates, initiatives that promote recycling are deemed essential.
SuperCircle’s business model involves partner companies paying a monthly platform usage fee along with a recycling fee tied to the volume of materials collected. While textile recycling gains traction as a preferred sustainability strategy for fashion brands embracing circular practices, recent setbacks like the bankruptcy filing of Renewcell underscore the challenges in making sustainability economically viable.
J.Crew has been strategically realigning its operations in recent times. In January 2023, the company introduced a resale program and later launched a virtual store in June. Additionally, amid organisational changes in 2023 that included layoffs, specific details regarding the extent of the workforce impact were not disclosed by the company.
Speaking of SuperCircle, after securing US $ 7 million in funding during a pre-Series A round last year, it has a track record of collaborating on textile recycling ventures with prominent apparel brands like Reformation and tentree.
