Carhartt has built a reputation for building durable gear made from the highest quality materials. Now, Carhartt, “America’s premium workwear brand,” has partnered with Trove to launch a new resale program called Carhartt Reworked. Intended to extend the life of workwear, the program will help reduce clothing waste and keep previously worn and slightly imperfect gear out of landfills.
This new initiative may not seem like a big deal, but the Carhartt Reworked program is actually the first branded resale site in the workwear industry. I was surprised to read that the other day and am glad that, at a minimum, we finally have one major company that has taken the lead. Hopefully, many others will follow.
As Gretchen R. Valade, Director of Sustainability at Carhartt, notes:
‘Carhartt Reworked’ is an extension of our commitment to deliver the durability and reliability that hardworking people know and love, while reducing our environmental footprint. With the help of Trove’s expertise in circular business and recommerce, we’re able to keep Carhartt products in use longer, out of landfills and in the hands of people who need it.
The name Carhartt Reworked is no accident since it does exactly as the name suggests. The program takes previously worn or slightly imperfect gear that still has some life left in it and “reworks” the item. The “new” reworked pieces are then passed along to people who can put them to good use.
The program has two main sources of “stock.” There are items sent to the company as part of its consumer trade-in program, and there are items that were either returned or are imperfect. Here’s how the program describes each.
- Consumer Trade-In: The reworked program will accept trade-ins of select Carhartt products that meet the requirements. All accepted products must meet condition standards, must be less than 10 years old, and are required to have had an original MSRP cost of $50 or more. The product categories include outerwear, shirt jacs, bibs, and overalls, hoodies, sweatshirts, and pants. For those who bring eligible gear to participating Carhartt stores, the customer can exchange their gear for a digital gift card, which can be used on reworked.carhartt.com, Carhartt.com, or at any Carhartt Company Store. Any gear not eligible for trade-in will be properly recycled or donated to keep fabric out of landfills.
- Returns/Imperfect Inventory: Depending on the garment’s condition, the product will either be immediately available for resale, cleaned, repaired, and reassessed or be removed from circulation and recycled.
Carhartt Reworked products are available for purchase starting March 1st. The trade-in program will pilot in six stores across the U.S. before expanding to all Carhartt retail locations in 2023. It is also worth noting that, as the program evolves, trade-ins will be available via online mail-in.
Great workwear at a discounted price, AND you get to help the planet a bit? That sounds like a win to me.