Labor Love, Fruitful Collabs and Gear Extension: Short Takes
Gear Grab: Just in time for the back-to-school season, Dick’s Sporting Goods is expanding its partnership with SidelineSwap, to offer a series of 50 trade-in events in seven states through the end of the year. Previously, the two have held 10 events in four Dick’s locations.
Customers can exchange their used sports gear and receive Dick’s gift cards toward their next purchase. Customers also have the option of donating all or a portion of the trade-in value to local sports organizations. All items are evaluated by SidelineSwap using trade-in software and a value guide, and those that do not qualify for trade-in can be donated or recycled.
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Those customers who participated in the pilot trade-in events earlier this year received $78 in gift cards, on average, and 100 percent of customers responding to a survey said they would be interested in reselling their used sports gear at least once a year. Items like gloves, cleats and helmets were popular trade-ins across sports like baseball, softball, hockey, golf, lacrosse and soccer.
Participating locations for the trade-ins, which will run from Sept. 2 to 4 and Sept. 9, include select stores in Pennsylvania, California, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. The partnership will expand to other markets in 2023, the companies said.
“We love that gear finds a second life on SidelineSwap’s resale marketplace and that more equipment stays on playing fields and out of landfills,” said Peter Land, chief sustainability and communications officer for Dick’s. The estimate is that U.S. households have 23.6 billion unused items worth $580 billion and sporting goods account for approximately $20 billion of that number. To date, SidelineSwap, which was founded in 2015, has helped more than 1 million athletes trade in and resell their used gear.
Fruitful Collabs: On Tuesday, Fruit of the Loom unveiled its look at more sustainable T-shirts through a partnership with Recover. The T-shirts are made with 20 percent Recover fiber, which is made of recycled cotton. The limited-run, unisex line retails for $15 on Fruit.com and Amazon, and spans eight colors, among them lilac and navy.
In line with the company’s sustainability plan “Fruitful Futures,” the collection is meant to showcase more sustainable sourcing for the 170-year-old underwear brand. Fruit of the Loom’s vice president of corporate social responsibility Mercedes Lopez said in a press statement, “As one of the world’s largest manufacturers and marketers of casualwear, we are committed to reducing our environmental impact across the total value chain.”
On the other side of fiber collabs, Marimekko revealed a three-piece capsule on Monday made from Spinnova fibers, which are a wood-based alternative to cotton that is fully biodegradable. This effort trails the Finnish brand’s rollout of its Pre-Loved resale platform on Thursday. The overshirt, trousers and tote bag are rendered in the brand’s classic poppy print and retail for between 150 euros and 315 euros.
Labor Love: In support of local workforce education and upcoming Labor Day, workwear brand Carhartt launched its “For the Love of Labor” grant program on Wednesday.
At launch, the program will commit $175,000 to four organizations supporting workplace training and skills education in its own backyard of Michigan. The organizations include Women Who Weld, Women in Skilled Trades, Emerging Industries Training Institute and Workforce Development Institute. All but Women in Skilled Trades are based in Detroit. Funding will come from online sales on Carhartt.com on Labor Day, marking the third year the brand has devoted sales to causes.
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