Students inevitably end up with piles of old shirts after spring cleaning or while moving out of their dorms; instead of tossing them out, the Marquette Spirit Shop has a better solution.
In June, the Sprit Shop launched the 360° Closed Loop Program, an apparel recycling program by Recover Brands that collects, breaks down and reuses old clothing to eliminate textile waste from landfills. New apparel is then made and sold nationwide.
The Spirit Shop will have an in-store bin to collect old clothing to be shipped to Recover Brands where the recycling process begins.
Some of the items accepted by the Spirit Shop include any style of T-shirt, sweatshirt and hoodie. All apparel must be cleaned before donating.
Julie Mikolajewski, assistant director of merchandising who oversees the program, says one highlight of the program is its domestic location.
“The average piece of apparel travels 17,000 miles, whereas the Recover Brand Classic Collection, which the Spirit Shop will have available, is made entirely in the U.S. within a 250-mile radius in the southeast, further limiting the environmental impact of the apparel industry,” Mikolajewski says.
The program’s goal is to reduce textile waste in landfills by making it easy for campus communities to recycle old clothing, aligning with Marquette’s commitment to sustainability and environmental justice. Participating in the 360° Closed Loop Program will help create a healthier campus by removing clothing that was once headed for a landfill.
The Spirit Shop has already made moves in sustainability by offering a selection of apparel and gifts made of recycled materials and adopting the use of biodegradable shopping bags.
The Spirit Shop will also offer four 100% recycled tees from Recover Brands for purchase. Mikolajewski hopes that this is the first step students take when cleaning out their wardrobe.
“We hope that dropping off old apparel at the Spirit Shop will become the campus’s first response versus the trash bin or dumpster,” Mikolajewski says. “We hope that customers will also purchase the Recover Brand apparel offered at the Spirit Shop to keep the 360° loop going.”
