American Eagle Outfitters Seeks Unwanted Denim

Make It Right — founded by Brad Pitt — and American Eagle Outfitters have partnered on a project aimed at recycling “unwanted denim” into insulation materials that will be used in affordable houses. The retailer said today that the program is in honor of Earth Day, which is Wednesday. Helga Ying, American Eagle Outfitters vice president of external engagement and social responsibility, said the initiative with Make It Right “underscores our commitment to eliminate waste and preserve vital resources, while enabling our customers to become involved in our sustainability efforts and to truly close the loop on the textile waste cycle.” Ying went on to say that the “more we engage our customers, the more denim we will collect, ultimately reducing textile waste and increasing our ability to build low-cost, sustainable homes in our communities.” In the U.S., textile recycling has plenty of room to expand: currently, textiles represent about 15 percent of all solid waste that is recycled from the waste stream, according to data compiled by Statista, and industry analysts say that figure can be easily doubled. Citing statistics from the Environmental Protection Agency, the retailer said “more than 24 billion pounds of unwanted clothing, shoes and other textiles end up in U.S.

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