Your Old Timberland Boots Can Now Become Your New Timberland Boots
Timberloop, a program that launches today, will take back old boots and clothing to be refurbished or recycled into new products, as the company goes all in on circularity.
Originally published on Fast Company
“Circularity” has become a buzzword in the fashion world, with brands using the catchall term to refer to everything from using eco-friendly materials to selling secondhand goods. But becoming a truly circular company is harder than it looks, as Timberland, the iconic American boot brand founded in 1973, is discovering firsthand.
Today it launches a program called “Timberloop” that invites customers to return used Timberland products so they can be refurbished or disassembled and then upcycled. For a brand that generates upward of $11 billion in annual revenue, this program was a major undertaking, requiring it to partner with experts across its global markets—including the U.S., Europe, and Asia—who could take apart shoes and clothes and transform them into new products. Now the big question is whether enough consumers will be willing to go through the effort of returning their old products, and whether Timberland can scale this program.
