Adidas partners with Thredup to enter the resale market

Germany-based footwear company, Adidas is entering into the resale market with its new Choose to Give Back initiative in partnership with apparel resale specialist ThredUp.

The program, which began in the United States, attempts to extend the lifecycle of athletic and lifestyle clothes and footwear. Customers will be able to return products from any brand back via the Adidas Creator’s Club app to be reused or resold, using Thredup’s Resale as a Service (RaaS) platform.

In the United States, 95% of discarded clothing can be reused. With low usage rates and low recycling rates, the textiles industry continues to rely mostly on non-renewable resources, resulting in a vast footprint and putting strain on the world’s resources.

Katja Schreiber, Adidas SVP of Sustainability, said that great performance should not come at the expense of the environment. That’s why, they’re committed to developing a circular future for sportswear, and with the Choose to Give Back program, they’re helping people see new possibilities for giving old gear new life.

Schreiber added that the conclusion of one thing heralds the start of another. Keeping gear in play to help stop plastic waste is the beginning of a more responsible future.

Pooja Sethi, Senior Vice President and General Manager of RaaS at Thredup, said that Adidas intends to create a circular product lifecycle by allowing old clothes and shoes to be reused or recycled by someone fresh. Adidas has a global reputation for pushing innovative, sustainable solutions, and Thredup is happy to support their latest project to foster more circular habits among consumers. They’re keeping high-quality clothes in use longer and eliminating fashion waste by facilitating resale at scale with customizable solutions for leading brands and merchants.”

The initiative was first made available to members of the Adidas Creators Club app on October 7th, and it will be expanded online and in stores in early 2022. Consumers can use the app to obtain a Clean Out Kit prepaid shipping label, which they can use to mail garments and accessories from any brand or category, including their worn sports gear, such as running shoes, soccer jerseys, and other performance apparel. If an item is not in a resaleable condition, it will be sent to thredUP’s carefully selected network of textile reuse partners. Members of the Creator Club will receive benefits in exchange for sending in their old gear.

Choose to Give Back is one of the sportswear giant’s many sustainability initiatives, which also includes a low-carbon shoe collaboration with Allbirds, the Stan Smith Mylo: made with mycelium, the root structure of mushrooms, and Made to be Remade shoes. By 2025, the company wants to be carbon neutral in all of its North American locations, including retail stores, distribution centers, and employee offices.