Levi's constantly pushes the envelope for denim. In a myriad of ways, the mega-brand continues to innovate, from making jackets that control your smart phone to using lasers to fade denim. One of the brand's biggest pushes in recent years has been to make its blue jeans greener. Initiatives like its Water>Less program attempt to cut its water consumption while its RenewCell material miraculously takes recycled cotton and transforms it into completely new threads. Levi's is now taking two more significant steps toward sustainability and circular fashion.
Launching today, Levi's introduces its Levi's SecondHand program which allows customers to buy, as the name implies, pre-owned Levi's products. By selling used garments, CO2 emissions general waste is reduced drastically when compared to buying new garments. According to Levi's Chief Marketing Officer Jennifer Sey, that's about "80 percent of the CO2 emissions and 700 grams of waste compared to buying a new pair of Levi’s.”
In addition to selling used and vintage Levi's products, Levi's SecondHand will also allow customers to return used Levi's products back to the company in exchange for a gift card to use for future purchases. Customers can expect to receive between $15 and $35 for their used denim. Even if your denim is too worn to be resold, Levi's will still buy it for $5.
To handle this new infrastructure, Levi's teamed up with recommerce and logistics startup company TROVE to handle SecondHand's logistics and backend. This includes cleaning, inventory processing and fulfillment.
Brands buying back products to repair and resell to customers is becoming more mainstream. Patagonia, Taylor Stitch and A.P.C. are some of the more well-known brands that have done this. However, for a global brand as huge as Levi's, it's a big statement that will hopefully inspire other brands to follow suit.
