courtesy Parachute
From an email:
“About The Program
This summer, Parachute will launch in-store textile recycling for the very first time across its fleet of retail stores nationwide so that consumers can finally have an alternative to putting their beloved textiles in a dumpster. Parachute will accept sheets, towels, pillows, and robes in any condition, from any brand. As long as they’re freshly washed, they can be accepted with stains, breaks, or rips. With the help of partners at SuperCircle, Parachute will sort and recycle donated items for a second life – from new textiles to new projects, including furniture batting, insulation, and padding – sending nothing to landfill. In return, customers will receive a rare 15% discount code towards their next Parachute purchase.
Why We’re Doing This
The U.S. alone sends 85% of all textiles to the landfill, where they break down, release harmful toxins and greenhouse gasses like methane and CO2, and create liquid runoff that contaminates nearby water sources and ecosystems. It can take anywhere from 90 to 1000 years to break down in these conditions, making our textile waste a problem that future generations have to solve – until now.
Home bedding & bath linens are a huge opportunity in the circular economy. Often made up of mono-materials, like 100% cotton and 100% linen, they are what we call high value textiles, the types that can be easily fiber-to-fiber recycled and entered back into new textiles streams.
While U.S. legislators are still deliberating on whether or not consumer brands should be responsible for the end of their products’ lifecycle, Parachute knows it’s the right thing to do, and is making a bold move to offer a solution to incentivize its customers now. To build demand and innovation in recycled materials, there needs to be a consistent supply. Recycling is a volume-based game – with home textiles in play, this is something the Parachute team feels we can win at.
How It Works
Customers will start the process with an online portal via Parachute’s website, where they will identify the items they want to recycle, receive a personal QR code tied to their order, and then gather your items and bring them to one of Parachute’s store locations for drop-off.
Parachute’s store teams then ship items to our partners at SuperCircle – and will update customers along the way.
At the warehouse, donations are sorted by material and other key recycling factors.
Once enough material of a certain kind has been collected (think ~120 duvet covers), our recycling partners will upcycle appropriate material into new items and textiles. The rest will be downcycled into other mixed-use items.
Parachute guarantees that all items are being diverted from landfill and are finding a new life.”
1707 14th Street, NW