Sustainability is at the core of the Reformation’s messaging. In addition to typical size and fit info, each product is listed with its “sustainability impact,” including the water, waste, and carbon dioxide saved in making the garment. And in 2015, the company introduced RefRecyling, its first recycling program, and declared itself carbon neutral.

But now, Reformation has a new vision for recycling.

The wheels began to turn while working with SuperCircle, a fiber-to-fiber recycling program, on a shoe collection last year. Reformation realized that, to scale their recycling program, the team needed better logistics. And a big benefit from the SuperCircle partnership is that Reformation doesn’t have to touch the control board.

The tech touch

“We’re not in the business of reverse logistics and finding the right freight solutions,” Kathleen Talbot, chief sustainability officer and VP of operations at Reformation, told Retail Brew. “It’s not sexy, [but] highly operational, and requires this specialized platform. We realized…this is one of the things brands need in order to do this.”

• The company unveiled its revamped recycling program last month.

Consumers drop off their used Reformation goods at its US stores—or ship them—and receive credit for future purchases ($25 for shoes, $15 for jeans, $10 for sweaters and activewear). From there, SuperCircle’s tech-enabled system takes over. It collects the items, gets them to the SuperCircle central warehouses, sorts and aggregates them by material type, and then sends them off to textile-recycling partners who convert the products into fibers for use in new products.

Have at it: “[SuperCircle] owns the reverse logistics…both the front-end customer platform, as well as a back-end logistics and ops, so that the brands really can stand it up pretty quickly with less dedicated tech and support,” Talbot said.

The platform lets customers access previously purchased products and select them for recycling. Customers can also follow their garments’ journeys and see whether they were upcycled, recycled, or downcycled.

• “What’s nice about that, from a brand point of view, is, again, it’s all kind of pre-engineered.”
• Reformation pays a monthly platform fee, the company said, plus a per-unit fee for processing and shipping.

Click here to read more.—JG

More and more, brands are showing older women in ads, reports Marketing Brew’s Katie Hicks. Take 19/99 Beauty: Founders Camille Katona and Stephanie Spence told Katie their ultimate goal is to remove age from the conversation altogether.

“That would be really amazing for us to get to a place where age is no longer interesting and it’s not a defining factor,” Spence told Marketing Brew.

The name 19/99 Beauty indicates that the brand is for anyone 19–99 years old. Katona said one reason they wanted to create an age-inclusive beauty brand was to show women that they aren’t invisible past a certain age and to destigmatize growing older for those worried about it.

When it comes to marketing, Katona said the brand isn’t “prescriptive” in its approach to age inclusivity. “If we base representation on numbers, it starts to feel like tokenism,” she explained, although she said that 19/99 tries “to lead campaigns with someone over 50, and then build the rest out from there.”

She said the brand has been able to reach women over 50 via Facebook and Instagram ads, as well as print media. According to Katona, more than 50% of its customers are older than 35, and more than 30% are over 45.

Spence said they’ve already seen the impact of their marketing, with women telling them they bought products like 19/99’s blue eyeliner once they saw others of the same age wearing it. “They hadn’t [used blue eyeliner] in like, 15–20 years because they thought they had grown out of it,” she said. “They were so excited to have it back.”

Click here to read the full story on Marketing Brew.—GT

Today’s top retail reads.

Behind closed doors: “Everyone is locking everything up. It’s a siege mentality,” said Joe Budano, CEO of Indyme, which helps retailers like Walgreens with loss prevention. But stores are still searching for smarter solutions. (Forbes)

A Penney saved? JCPenney CEO Marc Rosen’s plan to turn the retailer around? Double down on the shoppers that already love the store. (The Wall Street Journal)

Well-suited: How (and why) menswear is booming all around the world. (WWD)

Don’t miss it: Chargebee’s SubComm NXT ’22 is happening April 5 at 9am PT. Learn about the latest trends in the subscription e-commerce industry, hear about best-in-class solutions adopted by high-growth DTC brands (like Superfoods Company, TokyoTreat, and Pret A Manger), and network with your peers. Register for the free half-day summit right here.*

^{*This is sponsored advertising content.}

At the mall, it’s where band tees are the only tees. In Retail Brew, it’s where we invite readers to weigh in on a trending retail topic.

On Friday, warehouse workers on Staten Island voted to form Amazon’s first union. Now what? Well, no one should be surprised that the impact of this history-making election will be felt throughout retail.

You tell us: How do you think a unionized Amazon warehouse will affect the industry? Share your thoughts here.

Circling back: Last week, after delivery companies like Instacart and UberEats added surcharges to combat rising gas prices, we asked how that would factor into how often you use the services. Almost half (49.5%) of Retail Brew respondents said they’d opt to use them less. Close to 31% said surcharges or no surcharges, it’s the same to them, while 20% said they would stop using the services altogether.

• Not a single person said they’d use these platforms more.

Catch up on the Retail Brew stories you may have missed.

• Authentic Brands Group CEO on rebooting Reebok
• Why Canadian cities are so popular as test markets
• Amazon, FedEx, and even Chili’s delve deeper into drone delivery