Countdown to Earth Day: Recycle Your Old Clothes at Geneva Commons
This month, Kane County Connects will highlight the organizations that are working to conserve and protect our local environment. Check out this “Countdown to Earth Day” feature every day from now until April 22 to learn more about the people and projects that are helping to improve sustainability throughout the Fox Valley. Today’s article comes to us from courtesy of H&M.
It’s World Recycle Week! Bring in your old, worn-out, or out-of-style clothes — that’s the message H&M is sending out when seeking to collect 1,000 tons of old garments in the company’s biggest sustainability campaign yet.
During the week of April 18, drop off used clothing at the H&M store located at Geneva Commons, 530 Commons Drive in Geneva.
Since H&M launched its Garment Collecting initiative in 2013, customers from every corner of the world have helped recycle 25,000 tons of their unwanted clothes. To make that gigantic volume more comprehendible, H&M’s head of sustainability Anna Gedda compares it to collecting 125 million T-shirts in three years. On April 18, one week dedicated to collecting at least 1,000 tons of unwanted garments starts.
“Seeing how much unwanted clothes we’ve collected since launching the garment collecting initiative, we know that there’s a huge interest from our customers to be more conscious in how they enjoy fashion — and we want them to be a part of the solution,” she said.
“I’m positive we’ll be able to collect 1,000 tons during World Recycle Week.”
H&M has been on the sustainability forefront for years. After items are collected in any of the more than 3,600 H&M stores worldwide, they are shipped to one of seven sorting plants where they are sorted to become either re-worn and sold in second-hand stores, re-used as cloths or upholstery, or recycled to become new fabric and essentially new items.
“The planet’s resources are limited. If we want to continue enjoying fashion, we have to find a way to make better use of the resources. H&M works for a sustainable fashion future which, among many things, means that we want to create a closed loop for fashion where old clothes can be turned into new ones without using additional materials. We still have more to do, but already today we make so-called closed-loop products from recycled denim fabric from the garments you hand in,” Gedda said.
To make as many people as possible aware of World Recycle Week, and to collect as many unwanted garments as possible (regardless of condition or brand, of course), H&M has teamed up with M.I.A. and several other influencers working in fashion and music while being devoted to reducing waste of the planet’s resources.
World Recycle Week FAQs
WHAT IS THE LONG-TERM GOAL WITH THIS WEEK?
“World Recycle Week is about changing people’s behavior when it comes to caring for their clothes, to make sure that no fashion goes to waste.”
“To see this as a great opportunity to clean out your wardrobe. Then make sure all the things you can’t wear anymore or that are ripped or that you’re tired of get new life.”
HOW MANY ITEMS WILL YOU RECYCLE DURING THE WEEK?
“At least two full bags. I’ve collected most of the things that I’m going to recycle.”
The music video with M.I.A. highlights the environmental impact letting fashion go to waste has on the planet. So instead of throwing your clothes in the garbage and allowing them to end up in landfills, you should collect all the things you don’t want and bring them to your nearest H&M.
“World Recycle Week is a movement for change,” Gedda said.
Go to hm.com/garmentcollecting to learn more about recycling.
