Steve Madden has partnered with Trashie, a recycling and rewards platform, to introduce the Take Bag Initiative and encourage its customers to adopt sustainable practices.

Through the collaboration, customers can purchase a Take Back Bag from Trashie, and fill it with unwanted clothes, shoes, and accessories for recycling. In exchange, they’ll receive US$25 towards their next online purchase.

Gregg Meyer, chief sustainability officer for Steve Madden, said Trashie’s platform aligns perfectly with the brand’s vision to create a circular approach to fashion. 

“I’m incredibly excited to announce our partnership with Trashie, which marks a key step in our efforts to support end-of-life management for our products,” said Gregg Meyer, chief sustainability officer, Steven Madden. 

“We’re eager to see how this partnership will empower our customers and drive positive change in the years to come,” he added.

All fashion items sent to Trashie’s recycling facility will be categorized by size, quality, and fabrication to ensure they go to the proper processing stage, whether via re-use, downcycling, or fibre-to-fibre recycling.

Trashie founder and CEO Kristy Caylor said it’s inspiring to see a well-known brand like Steve Madden make a strong commitment to circularity. 

“We are proud to partner with the Steve Madden team to deliver a fun and inspiring way for their customers to engage with recycling,” said Caylor. “Our goal is to ease our partners’ transition to a more circular future by leveraging our proven consumer model and back-end recycling logistics to drive measurable and lasting impact for the brand.”

The Take Back Bag initiative’s sales reached $500,000 over the past year, diverting an estimated 8.4 million worth of items from landfills. In addition to Steve Madden, some of its retail partners include ThirdLove, Bombas, Marine Layer, and Walmart.