• The fashion industry is one of the world’s biggest polluters – and adidas and thredUP are using their scale to promote a more circular product lifecycle for sports performance & lifestyle wear.

• The adidas Choose to Give Back resale program is powered by thredUP’s Resale-as-a-ServiceⓇ (RaaSⓇ) and invites consumers to send their used gear back to adidas to be reused or resold.

• It’s a continuation of the global performance brand’s ongoing commitment to helping End Plastic Waste.

(PORTLAND, Ore. AND OAKLAND, Calif.) - Today, in a continuation of its ongoing mission to help End Plastic Waste, adidas has introduced its Choose to Give Back program aimed at helping to extend the lifecycle of sports performance & lifestyle apparel and footwear. Leveraging thredUP’s Resale-as-a-ServiceⓇ (RaaSⓇ ) platform and expertise, the program will invite consumers to send used product from any brand back to adidas via the adidas Creator’s Club app to be reused or resold.

The fashion industry is one of the world’s biggest polluters. An estimated 36B clothing items are thrown away in the US each year, 95%* of which can be recycled or reused. The textiles industry relies mostly on non-renewable resources – and with low usage rates and low levels of recycling, this linear system creates a massive footprint and applies pressure on the world’s resources. 

“We believe that great performance shouldn’t come at the cost of the environment. That’s why we’re committed to establishing a circular future for sportswear, and with the Choose to Give Back program are helping people to see new possibilities to give old gear new life,” explains Katja Schreiber, adidas SVP of Sustainability. 

By giving used clothes and shoes the opportunity to be reused or repurposed by someone new, adidas hopes to create a circular product lifecycle.

“Adidas has a reputation for driving innovative, sustainable solutions globally, and thredUP is thrilled to support their latest initiative to encourage more circular habits among consumers,” said Pooja Sethi, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Resale-as-a-Service (RaaS) at thredUP. “By enabling resale at scale with customizable solutions for leading brands and retailers, we’re keeping high-quality clothes in use longer and fighting fashion waste.”

Initially launched within the adidas Creators Club app to members on October 7, the program is rolling out more widely online and in stores in early 2022. To participate, consumers can generate a Clean Out Kit prepaid shipping label through the app and use it to send apparel and accessories across any brand or category, including their used sports gear – from running shoes to soccer jerseys or other performance apparel. If an item is not in a condition to be resold, it will go through thredUP’s select network of textile reuse partners. In exchange for sending in their old gear Creator Club members will earn rewards.

Choose to Give Back is the latest of many sustainability initiatives from adidas – including a low-carbon shoe collaboration with Allbirds, Stan Smith Mylo: made with underground roots of mushrooms and Made to be Remade shoes – expanding the limits of human possibilities, including and uniting people in sport and helping to create a more sustainable world. The brand is also working towards a goal of Carbon Neutrality across all North America facilities by 2025, including retail stores, distribution centers, and employee offices.

“The end of one thing is the beginning of the next. This is the beginning of a more responsible future by keeping gear in play to help end plastic waste,” added Katja Schreiber.

*thredUP’s 2021 Resale Report

About adidas

adidas’ sustainability mission is to help End Plastic Waste through forging partnerships and developing product innovations that either: use recycled materials, are made to be remade or are made with nature. adidas has set big goals for the coming years: only using recycled polyester in every product where a solution exists from 2024, 15% carbon footprint per product reduction by 2025, 30% carbon footprint reduction by 2030 (compared to 2017) and carbon neutrality by 2050. For more information visit: adidas.com/sustainability.

About thredUP

thredUP is transforming resale with technology and a mission to inspire a new generation of consumers to think secondhand first. By making it easy to buy and sell secondhand, thredUP has become one of the world’s largest resale platforms for women’s and kids’ apparel, shoes and accessories. Sellers love thredUP because we make it easy to clean out their closets and unlock value for themselves or for the charity of their choice while doing good for the planet. Buyers love shopping value, premium and luxury brands all in one place, at up to 90% off estimated retail price. Our proprietary operating platform is the foundation for our managed marketplace and consists of distributed processing infrastructure, proprietary software and systems and data science expertise. In 2018, we extended our platform with thredUP’s Resale-As-A-Service (RaaSⓇ), which facilitates modern resale for a number of the world’s leading brands and retailers. thredUP has processed over 125 million unique secondhand items from 35,000 brands across 100 categories. By extending the life cycle of clothing, thredUP is changing the way consumers shop and ushering in a more sustainable future for the fashion industry.