The future of fashion is circular, and thredUP just launched a platform to help retailers get on board.

Today thredUP, the world’s largest secondhand marketplace, launches “UPcycle,” an online platform that makes it easy for any brand to launch — and scale — a clothing recycling program. Kicking-off with sustainable fashion brand, Reformation, this platform enables retailers to advance their circular fashion efforts, while providing customers with a rewarding way to recycle.

“At thredUP we believe in extending the life of clothes and the positive impact reuse can have on our environment,” said James Reinhart, CEO and Founder of thredUP. “So many brands share our vision, but they don’t know where to start. thredUP UPcycle will help retailers capture the value sitting in their customers’ closets, while advancing a more circular economy. It’s a win for business, for our wallets and for the planet.”

WHY NOW: THE FUTURE OF FASHION IS CIRCULAR

Fashion is one of the most polluting industries in the world, second only to oil. Consumers are buying more and discarding clothes faster than ever before, resulting in 26B tons of textile waste landfilled annually. Growing awareness of this waste has changed consumer behavior: shoppers now prefer to buy from eco- conscious brands, and re-sell their goods on secondary-markets.

To appeal to the modern consumer, brands are striving to “go circular” by supporting the extended re-use of their products. However, when it comes to apparel recycling, most retailers do not have the technological or operational infrastructure required to receive, evaluate, price, photograph and re-sell unique items at scale.

That’s where thredUP comes in. With UPcycle, any retailer can launch and scale an apparel recycling program by leveraging thredUP’s resale technology, proprietary supply chain and unmatched operational expertise in processing and fulfillment.

RETAILER BENEFITS: GOOD AND PROFITABLE

The service is designed to boost retailer business, renew brand love and build the foundation for a sustainable fashion future:

1. Brands can turn their customers’ old clothes into revenue. Retailers distribute custom branded “Clean Out Kits,” which their customers use to ship clothes to thredUP. Instead of earning cash, thredUP pays the customer in a retailer gift card, driving her back to the store.

2. Brands can build customer loyalty as circular fashion leaders. With a gift card in hand, customers will refill their closets with the partnering retailer’s apparel. But more importantly, by helping customers do good, brands will establish an emotional connection that lasts.

3. Brands can recapture the wallet-share lost to secondary markets. Millions of items are re-sold every day on secondary-markets and that pace is only accelerating. With UPcycle, traditional brands can participate in the $20B resale market.

REFORMATION X THREDUP

Starting Oct 2, consumers can print a Reformation X thredUP UPcycle Kit and turn their old clothes into new Reformation credit. All Reformation customers will automatically receive an UPcycle kit in their orders through May 2019, and starting in November, Reformation will also become a payment option for sellers on thredUP.com.

thredUP and Reformation forecast that they will divert 730,000 items from landfills with this program — surpassing Reformation’s 2018 apparel recycling goal by nearly 10X.

Here’s how Reformation x thredUP Works:

1. Activate or print a “Clean Out” shipping label at thredUP.com/reformation

2. Fill any shippable box with clothes and ship to thredUP for free

3. thredUP processes the clothes and pays for all re-sellable items in the form of a Reformation gift card — then responsibly recycles the rest.

Bonus: Customers who send clothes by December 31st will earn 15% more than what thredUP normally pays — all in the form of Reformation credit.

front of thredUP x Reformation Clean Out kits which will be mailed to Reformation customers starting Oct 2

back of thredUP x Reformation Clean Out kits which will be mailed to Reformation customers starting Oct 2

“We’re really happy to partner with thredUP to launch their UPcycle Program. We started Reformation to create a sustainable way to be fashionable and because we believe consumers have the buying and selling power to eliminate waste. The partnership with thredUp supports our recycling and reuse efforts, and adds even more easy options to shop responsibly.” — Yael Aflalo, Founder & CEO of Reformation

Reformation has taken on several other sustainability initiatives this year to combat waste, such as: converting their Melrose store into the first location to salvage vintage steals, composting organic waste and recycling or donating textile scrapes, and evolving RefScale — the tool that empowers customers to track their environmental savings by calculating what CO2 cost each garment has on the environment, along with water and material waste.

More About Reformation: Reformation is a revolutionary lifestyle brand that proves fast fashion and sustainability can co-exist. Created in 2009 by Founder and CEO Yael Aflalo, Reformation makes effortless silhouettes that celebrate the feminine figure. Home to the first sustainable sewing factory in the U.S., the brand infuses green measures into every aspect of the brand; from recycled vintage clothing and eco fabrics to recycled hangers in stores and eco-friendly packaging for at-home shipments. Reformation offers thoughtfully produced clothing at an affordable price–a reminder that being green shouldn’t mean sacrificing style and quality.

More About thredUP: thredUP currently UPcycles over 100,000 items per day across 35,000 brands, and is on track to be one of the largest distributors of clothing in North America by 2020. The company believes that retailers and resellers can and should unite to make an even bigger impact, extending the life of every garment produced. thredUP will be launching the next UPcycle retail partner in November, and has several retailers queued up for 2019.