Carhartt launches resale and trade-in programme with Trove

American premium workwear brand Carhartt has launched a resale and consumer trade-in programme to extend the life of its products in partnership with Trove.

The ‘Carhartt Reworked’ programme will mark the first branded resale platform in the workwear industry, explains Carhartt, and will support its sustainability journey “by creating a circular recommerce model that extends the life of its durable gear and reduces clothing waste”.

Gretchen R. Valade, director of Sustainability at Carhartt, said in a statement: “‘Carhartt Reworked’ is an extension of our commitment to deliver the durability and reliability that hardworking people know and love, while reducing our environmental footprint.

“With the help of Trove’s expertise in circular business and recommerce, we’re able to keep Carhartt products in use longer, out of landfills and in the hands of people who need it.”

The initiative will be built on products submitted through consumer trade-in, returns and imperfect inventory, adds Carhartt. The brand will accept Carharrt products that are less than 10 years old and had an original MSRP cost of 50 US dollars or more. The product categories include outerwear, shirt jacs, bibs and overalls, hoodies, sweatshirts and pants.

‘Carhartt Reworked’ programme launches to rework previously worn or slightly imperfect workwear

Customers who exchange their gear will receive a digital gift card to be used on reworked.carhartt.com, Carhartt.com or at any Carhartt company store. Any gear not eligible for trade-in will be properly recycled or donated to keep fabric out of landfills.

The trade-in programme will pilot in six stores across the US before expanding to all Carhartt stores in 2023, with the brand expecting the programme to evolve to accept trade-ins via online mail-in.

The initiative will be powered by Trove’s Recommerce Operating System, which has the ability to process millions of items for Carhartt and offers end-to-end item intelligence to deliver sustainable growth at scale within Carhartt’s unique ecosystem.

Gayle Tait, chief executive of Trove, added: “Carhartt is known for its high-quality fabric and stringent durability standards, meant to stand the test of time, which is why it feels natural to create a system to extend the life of such hardworking gear.

“It’s an honour to add Carhartt to Trove’s best-in-class brand partnerships that are pushing boundaries of innovation and sustainability. As the first workwear brand to offer a resale programme, Carhartt is setting the industry standard and investing in efforts to build a fully circular product lifecycle – and we’re proud to be part of that.”