Helpsy and Happy Returns give apparel, shoes, and accessories a second life
Challenge
For apparel and shoe brands, unwanted clothing such as overstock, end-of-life and damaged items sitting in warehouses or returned by consumers creates significant costs.
Solution
Helpsy and Happy Returns are partnering to address the growing problem of eCommerce exchanges and returns, and to reuse, recycle or upcycle clothing and shoes in cost-efficient and environmentally sustainable ways.
Impact
Find homes for large volumes of stranded items and returns
Reduce shipping costs and potentially share revenues
Process 1.5 pieces of clothing every second
Design innovative solutions to enhance value and meet environmental goals
Helpsy believes in a simple concept: clothes aren’t trash. Founded in 2017 as a for-profit Certified B Corporation, Helpsy works with a growing number of apparel and shoe brands—in addition to partnering with businesses such as Happy Returns—to collect returns, as well as overstock and rejected items, and ensure they don’t end up in landfills.
In keeping with a long-held mission to make returns beautiful for both the shopper and the planet, Happy Returns is excited to work with Helpsy to meet these objectives.
The Challenge
Helpsy takes in more than 25 million pounds of clothes annually— reusing, recycling or upcycling them in creative ways. This ranges from resales to thrift stores in North America or other second-hand markets worldwide—depending on the wishes of the brand—to creating rags for industrial use or using the cloth as stuffing or in insulation. In the process, Helpsy reduces C02 emissions by more than 300 million pounds a year.
Helpsy and Happy Returns complement one another in dealing with this challenge—with Happy Returns accepting and handling reverse logistics for returns and exchanges, and Helpsy completing the process through reuse or recycling to keep the items out of landfills.
For the fashion industry, unwanted clothing such as overstock, end-of-life and damaged items as well as exchanges and returns create significant costs. Brands need to process and ship these items, and determine whether refurbishment is possible. In addition, the clothing, shoes or accessories occupy needed space in warehouses.
It can also be a major PR problem to dispose of items in an environmentally insensitive way.
“For many brands, it’s not a good look to send unwanted clothes to the landfill. Many consumers today are increasingly conscious of sustainability.”
— Dan Green, Co-Founder, Helpsy
The Opportunity
Forward-looking fashion brands and retailers are exploring creative re-commerce models and donation strategies. Approximately 95% of all clothing, shoes and textiles can be given a second life—50% reused and another 45% recycled. And from an environmental perspective accounting for all impacts, every pound of clothing that’s reused reduces carbon emissions by as much as 200 to 1.
“It’s an amazing opportunity,” Green remarks. “There’s a movement among proactive brands and retailers to get ahead of this and reduce their carbon footprint.”
The Solution
Helpsy offers a variety of programs for fashion brands and retailers. These include:
• In-store unwanted clothing take-back
• Recapturing items for resale
• Responsible handling of overstock items and returns
• Reporting of environmental and other data
• Corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting
The programs can be individualized at the discretion of the brand, enabling retailers to choose an end-of-life option for their returns that works best for them and the assorted items.
Happy Returns partners with Helpsy to address the growing problem of eCommerce exchanges and returns and implement each brand’s strategy. Brands that are using Happy Returns to process returns via mail or dropped off in-person at Return Bar locations nationwide can choose to have their damaged or end-of-life items sent on to Helpsy, so the items can be sustainably disposed of, reused or resold at no extra cost.
“Our mission is to keep clothes out of the trash, and Happy Returns shrinks the environmental footprint of the returns process. We then add our expertise in responsibly reusing, recycling or disposing of large quantities of clothing, shoes and accessories.”
— Dan Green, Co-Founder, Helpsy
The Impact
Fast on their feet
A major sneaker company had a warehouse full of samples it needed to get rid of. Helpsy found a home for them and made a welcome contribution to the company’s favorite fitness charity.
The right touch
Helpsy now touches 1.5 pieces of clothing every second. Partnering with Happy Returns, the organization makes short work of growing quantities of returns and unwanted items from brands and retailers—efficiently and cost-effectively.