J.Crew has already gotten its feet wet in the circular economy, launching a resale program in partnership with its sister brand Madewell in January 2023. Now, the brand has partnered with SuperCircle for a swimwear takeback program focused on responsibly recycling swimwear that would otherwise end up in landfills.
The “Second-Life Swim” program will be available both in J.Crew stores and online. Customers will receive a $5 credit per piece of swimwear, from any brand, that they return, which can then be applied to a J.Crew swimwear purchase, for up to $20 per full-price swim piece.
The apparel industry is one of the major sources of waste, producing 92 million tons of textile waste annually, according to Earth.org. Retailers have been making moves to reduce this total with a range of circular initiatives, including:
- Shein launched its Shein Exchange peer-to-peer resale program in October 2022;
- In April 2023, H&M debuted a line of compostable newborn apparel; and
- Perry Ellis debuted an “Eco Denim” line made from recycled textile waste in May 2023.
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