As the new year arrives and “out with the old, in with the new” becomes the focus, some of us are looking for ways to make a fresh start – including with our clothing. Unfortunately, more than 85 percent of textiles like clothing end up in landfills or are burned, and the fashion industry accounts for 10 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Two investments through Mercy Investment Services’ Environmental Solutions Fund are helping keep textiles out of the landfill.
- For Days, the first circular fashion brand, offers organic, non-toxic clothing that can be recycled into new fabric. For Days’ Take Back Bag collects used garments, linens and textiles from any brand and determine if the items can be recycled into new materials, downcycled into lesser-quality items such as insulation or carpeting, or resold. Since the program’s inception in 2018, Take Back Bags have saved 9.5 million pounds of CO2, 1.3 billion gallons of water and 1.2 million pounds of clothing from landfills.
- Trove, a Certified B Corporation, reduces carbon emissions by keeping high-quality, durable clothing in circulation. Trove helps major brands such as Levi’s, Lululemon, Patagonia and Allbirds design, build, and execute their branded trade-in and resale programs. These programs help retailers keep usable items from landfills and increase their revenues without increasing carbon emissions.
Mercy Investment Services’ Environmental Solutions Fund invests in a range of projects addressing the climate crisis including cleantech, water, sustainable agriculture, and sustainable agriculture and forestry. Learn more about the impact of these investments.