Columbia Sportswear Co. this week unveiled a used clothing and footwear program that’ll collect goods in 100-plus stores What’s more, Columbia will make contributions to nonprofits each time items are dropped off at its stores. The ReThreads program looks to reduce the 32 billion pounds of clothing, shoes and other textiles that are discarded each year.
Columbia said the items account for more than 6 percent of the municipal waste stream. The average American throws away 81 pounds of textiles each year.
“The issue of clothing ending up in landfills is a significant problem, and we want do our part to help conserve our material resources and reduce our collective carbon footprint,” said Scott Welch, a Columbia corporate relations manager, in a release.
Columbia had tested the program last year.
The unincorporated Washington County company will donate $1 for every pound of clothing collected at its stores through Sept. 10. The beneficiaries are the American Hiking Society, the National Park Foundation and the Children and Nature Network.
To read the full story, visit https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2017/08/10/columbia-unveils-sweeping-apparel-recycling.html.