The next step in Timberland’s sustainability journey involves taking back its products.
The outdoor standout revealed its global product take-back program today, which Timberland stated is a “critical next step on its path to circularity.” The effort, which was developed with the help of industrial sustainability company ReCircled, will offer the infrastructure necessary for Timberland’s circular design and development cycle. What’s more, the company stated this program also supports its plans for the products it creates to have a net positive impact on nature by 2030.
With this program, consumers will be able to return Timberland footwear, apparel and accessories to a Timberland store, starting in August. (Timberland stated it will introduce a digital, ship-from-home option in the summer.) These products, the brand said, will either be repaired or refurbished for sale on their own re-commerce platform, or they will be upcycled and recycled into future products.
After its U.S. launch, Timberland said it will bring the effort to the Europe, the Middle East and Africa region in the fall, and the Asia-Pacific region in spring ’22.
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“This take-back program is a critical step in pursuing our 100% circularity goal, while at the same time addressing the ever-increasing consumer demand for responsible design and progressive retail options,” Timberland global brand president Susie Mulder said in a statement. “Timberland always builds our products for longevity. Now those products will have a second life, whether they are refurbished for re-sale, or disassembled and recycled into something new. Either way, the consumer and product journey goes on, and we continue to move the world forward, together.”
Beyond the program, Timberland also revealed early insights into its latest eco-innovation, the Timberloop Trekker, a spring ’22 look that it described as a city hiker specifically designed for circularity. The model will come with “sneaker-like comfort and a progressive outdoor look,” Timberland said, as well as an atypical sole construction that allows for the outsoles to be removed at the ReCircled facility and to have each part put into its own recycling stream.
