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Dive Brief:
Stanley 1913 has launched a take-back program for customers to recycle their used steel and stainless steel products at no cost, per a company press release.
Customers can go to the Stanley 1913 website to log their products, generate a pre-paid shipping label or QR code, and send back used merchandise.
The program offers customers a discount of $5 on new purchases and accepts up to four eligible items per individual annually. For each eligible item returned through the take-back program, PMI WW Brands, which owns the Stanley 1913 brand, will donate $5 to the environmental advocacy group Ocean Conservancy.
Dive Insight:
Stanley said its take-back program builds on its brand promise of “Built for Life” and contributes to the brand’s sustainability efforts.
“Our ‘Built for Life’ promise has always been at the heart of our commitment to sustainability, with an emphasis on durability, design, and sourcing. With the new Take Back program, we’re extending that promise,” Graham Nearn, chief product and sustainability officer at PMI WW Brands, said in a statement. “We’re empowering our community to ensure their well-loved products never become waste, making it easier for products to start their next chapter. This is how we contribute to a circular economy and work together to create in a better way, for a better life and world.”
Stanley’s take-back program joins a growing list of notable companies that have created such programs to encourage customers to turn in their old products. Timberland launched a take-back program in 2021 with the goal to “have a net positive impact on nature by 2030.”
Patagonia in 2005 launched its Common Threads garment recycling program, in addition to other efforts to extend the life of its products, while Crocs last year expanded its take-back program — Old Crocs New Life — allowing customers to drop off their used footwear in all continental U.S. stores and outlets in exchange for 10% off their next purchase. The North Face also expanded its secondhand program last year to allow customers to return pre-owned items online and in stores for store credit.