Sustainability

ODLO Take Back: Give your sports clothes a second life!

Every second, one truckload of textiles is landfilled or incinerated. Globally, only around 20% of all used garments are collected for reuse or recycling. At ODLO we are committed to giving used sports clothes a second life, so they don’t end up polluting our landfills.

AT 02.11.2021

We all need to be aware of what we wear and to avoid that the clothes that we do not use turn out damaging our planet. We believe that every small step counts and that every piece of clothing saved from ending in the landfill is a victory.

That’s why we want to take responsibility for our products at the end of its life and saving textiles from landfill or incineration. This is the first stepping stone in our journey towards a circular economy of post-consumer products. 

We want to create awareness around the textile waste management and to give you the option to actively participate and act responsibly. If you want to help us to make a bigger impact, now you can. 

For this, from November 2nd we kick-off the ODLO Take Back programme. 


HOW DOES THE ODLO TAKE BACK PROGRAMME WORK? 
Starting November 2nd, 30 ODLO stores in Switzerland, Germany and Austria will have a Take Back Box, in which you can deposit your used sports clothes from any brand to give them a second life. All those who collaborate with us will get a 10% discount on ODLO products. Once you have deposited your clothes in the box, contact our sales associates to get your voucher. 


WHAT KIND OF CLOTHES CAN BE DEPOSITED IN THE ODLO TAKE BACK BOX? 
You can bring sport clothes from any brand, although with some exceptions. Before getting your clothes, please be sure that you cannot repair them, give them away or sell them. Once a garment has lived its longest life, you can consider the ODLO Take Back programme. Please consider our hygiene measures, all clothes must be washed before bringing them to back. 

These are the products that should NOT be deposited in the box: 

NO new sport clothes 
NO shoes  
NO Wet or heavily dirty products 
NO Products contaminated by oil or paint 
NO Fabric scraps 
NO Medical textiles 


WHAT DO WE DO WITH THE ITEMS THAT YOU LEAVE IN THE BOX? 
Our recycling partner TEXAID will collect all the items deposited in the boxes, and they will make sure that each piece of clothing is carefully evaluated for later use. This company has been working for 40 years, ensuring that valuable raw materials are recycled responsibly. Find more about TEXAID here.


THIS IS WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO YOUR CLOTHES ONCE YOU DEPOSIT THEM IN THE ODLO TAKE BACK BOX
Once we bring the collected items to TEXAID, they take care of the whole process, which has three different stages depending on the condition of the clothes:  

1. The priority is to reuse the items so that its life can be extended to the maximum. Between 50 and 65% is usually resold as second-hand clothing.  

2. If the clothing cannot be worn again, it will be recycled and used to create materials for other uses. This happens to around 30% of the clothes.  

3. In the last case, the remaining 5 to 15% of the clothes that can’t be reused or recycled will be used for energy production through burning.