VENICE BEACH, Calif. – This summer, bedding company Parachute will celebrate its 10th anniversary by launching an in-store textile recycling across its retail stores nationwide.
The company 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 these donated items for a second life – from new textiles to new projects, including furniture batting, insulation and padding – sending nothing to the landfill.
In return, customers will receive a 15% discount code on their next Parachute purchase. Recycling will be available in New York City stores starting June 7 and will roll out nationwide throughout the month of July.
“The U.S. alone sends 85% of all textiles to the landfill where it can take years to break down. It’s a huge, continuously growing problem,” said Ariel Kaye, Parachute founder. “What we saw was an opportunity – and a responsibility, really – to do our part in keeping our essentials out of landfills and giving a second life to our products. Because we don’t use harsh chemicals and prioritize natural materials over synthetics, we are able to fiber-to-fiber recycle close to 90% of our materials.”
Home bedding and bath linens are a huge opportunity in the circular economy. Often made up of mono-materials, like 100% cotton and 100% linen, they are high-value textiles, according to Kaye. These can be easily fiber-to-fiber recycled and entered back into new textiles streams.
Kaye added that while U.S. legislators are still deliberating on whether or not consumer brands should be responsible for the end of their products’ lifecycle, she knows it’s the right thing to do.
The process starts when customer visit 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 the items and bring them to one of Parachute’s 26 store locations for drop-off.
Parachute’s store teams then ship items to our partners at SuperCircle, a technology platform that helps brands to recycle. At the SuperCircle warehouse, donations are sorted by material and other key recycling factors.
“SuperCircle is thrilled to build on our partnership with Parachute Home, through which we’ve already recycled 27,000 pounds of textiles, with a nationwide, in-store home linen recycling program,” said Chloe Songer, SuperCircle co-founder and CEO. “The opportunity for consumers across the country to responsibly recycle sheets, towels and more while earning credit towards their next Parachute purchase when they do so, is a program that is win-win-win for consumers, Parachute, and our planet.”