Customers can now purchase a “take back bag” for $20 on Steve Madden’s website. They can fill the bag with unwanted clothing and footwear and send it back to Trashie’s recycling facility using a pre-paid shipping label. In return, customers will receive a $25 discount on their next purchase from Steve Madden’s online store.
Trashie’s recycling process assigns every item to one of 253 categories, ensuring that each piece is reused, downcycled, or recycled into new materials. The company claims that up to 95% of the collected items are kept out of landfills.
Gregg Meyer, chief sustainability officer at Steven Madden, Ltd. Said: “As we look to 2024 and beyond, a key part of our sustainability journey involves creating a holistic, circular approach to fashion across our supply chain. Trashie's innovative platform aligns perfectly with this vision, allowing us to offer our customers an opportunity to responsibly and easily give new life to their used fashion and footwear.”
Kristy Caylor, founder and CEO of Trashie, welcomed the collaboration with Steve Madden, stating, “We are proud to partner with the Steve Madden team to offer their customers an easy way to engage in recycling.”
“Our goal is to ease our partners' transition to a more circular future by leveraging our proven consumer model and back-end recycling logistics to drive measurable and lasting impact for the brand."
Trashie has reported significant success with its recycling initiatives, having sold over 500,000 Take Back Bags in the past year, which have diverted 8.4m items and 4.3m pounds of waste from landfills. In addition to Steve Madden, Trashie has collaborated with brands such as ThirdLove, Bombas, Marine Layer, and Walmart.
