Published
Mar 2, 2016
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Levi's brings recycling initiative to the UK

Published
Mar 2, 2016

Levi's, the global denim giant, is bringing its clothing recycling initiative with I:CO to Europe, starting with the UK.

The initiative, which launched in the US in early 2015, lets customers recycle clothing and shoes in store in aid of reducing the volume of waste sent to landfills every year.

Photo: Levi's


Now, UK customers can drop off used clothes and shoes from any brand in a specially installed collection box at their local Levi’s store. This will give them a voucher for 10 percent off a single, regular-priced Levi’s item in-store. The UK discards 350,000 tonnes of unwanted clothing into unsustainable landfills every year, Levi's says.

Levi's plans to roll out the initiative across the rest of Europe by the end of 2017.

“We’re thinking about sustainability across all facets of our business and how to shift consumer behavior to make recycling clothing the norm,” said Michael Kobori, vice president of sustainability at Levi Strauss & Co. “As an industry leader, we consider all phases of our product lifecycle, including stages beyond our direct control like the product’s end point. Collecting used clothing at our stores makes it simple and easy for consumers to do their part and builds upon our commitment to do the right thing for the environment.”

The recycling program is a partnership with I:CO, a solutions service provider for reuse and recycling of apparel, footwear and other textiles. “We admire Levi Strauss & Co.’s vision and impressive sustainability efforts. We are proud to be expanding our partnership to increase consumer access to clothing and shoe recycling opportunities,” said Jennifer Gilbert, I:CO Chief Marketing Officer.

Levi's has been making waves when it comes to recycling lately. For the holiday season, it teamed up with Goodwill in the US, creating a shipping label that it published on its website that let customers donate used clothes and shoes to Goodwill. It donated $5 for every box of donated clothing shipped.

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