Landfills Shouldn't Be Laundry Piles

Savers has always believed that landfills shouldn't be laundry piles. That's why for more than 60 years, Savers has been purchasing used clothing and textiles from nonprofit organizations and giving them a second, or third, life in its stores or through its recycling partners. Savers is on a mission to create a better world through reuse by inspiring local communities to rethink reuse.

"At Savers, reuse is in our DNA. It's who we are and how we operate, but not everyone considers reuse an option for their used clothing and household goods. With the growing amount of clothing and textile waste ending up in landfills, we felt compelled to act," said Ken Alterman, president and CEO of Savers. "We want to help people better understand the environmental impact of their clothing waste and the steps they can take to reduce it. That's why we are calling on everyone to rethink reuse – shopping thrift, donating used items to a nonprofit and consuming goods in a more sustainable way."

Through its unique business model and commitment to reuse, Savers has become one of the leading recyclers of used textiles in the world, keeping nearly 650 million pounds of reusable items out of North American landfills each year.

"Eighty-five percent of clothing waste ends up in landfills, with only 15 percent being reused or recycled," said Secondary Materials and Recycle Textiles Association (SMART) president Eric Stubin. "We applaud Savers for calling attention to the issue of clothing waste. Companies like Savers help give clothing and textiles another life through recycling and reuse – diverting millions of tons of clothing and textiles from landfills each year."

Suggested Tweets:

• Landfills shouldn't be laundry piles. Learn about the impact of clothing w/ @SaversVVillage: www.rethinkreuse.com #RethinkReuse #EarthDay
• #DYK It takes over 700 gallons of water to make 1 new cotton T-shirt! #RethinkReuse w/ @SaversVVillage. www.rethinkreuse.com

To see photos of the installation and join the conversation, follow along on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #RethinkReuse. For more information about Savers and its commitment to reuse, visit www.rethinkreuse.com.

About Savers
Savers is a for-profit privately held global thrift retailer offering clothing and accessories for men, women and children and household goods. Through its unique business model of purchasing, reselling and recycling secondhand merchandise, the Savers family of thrift stores (including Value Village, Unique Thrift and Village des Valeurs brands) benefits more than 120 nonprofit organizations, gives local consumers a smart way to shop and saves 650 million pounds of quality used goods from landfills each year. Savers pays its nonprofit partners for donated goods, turning otherwise unused items into sustainable funding that supports their vital community programs and services. Savers operates nearly 330 locations and has 22,000 employees in the United States, Canada and Australia. For more information, please visit www.savers.com.

TVI, Inc. d/b/a Savers and Value Village is a for-profit professional fundraiser. Visit savers.com/disclosures for state specific disclosures.

[1] U.S. EPA, Advancing Sustainable Materials Management 2013 Fact Sheet; Council for Textile Recycling 

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SOURCE Savers

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