How2Recycle, a blog post by EcoGoodz, a wholesale used shoes supplier

What is it?

“How2Recycle is a standardized labeling system that clearly communicates recycling instructions to the public. It involves a coalition of forward thinking brands who want their packaging to be recycled and are empowering consumers through smart packaging labels.

“How2Recycle began in 2008, and is a project of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition. The How2Recycle Label program finished its soft launch in early 2012 and now has over 45 participating companies and brands” including REI, McDonald’s, Target, Kellogg’s, Clorox, Minute Maid, Seventh Generation, and Hasbro.

How does it work?

It works like this: At the very top of the label are instructions for preparing the item for recycling. The middle portion denotes its recyclability (whether it is easily and widely recycled, not recycleable, recycleable only in certain areas, etc.), and the bottom portion contains information about what the item is made of and what it is (in the picture at left, the item is made of plastic and is a bottle).

What does this have to do with wholesale used shoes?

Nothing…yet. But just imagine if shoe manufacturers labeled their shoes as recyclable. How many more people would be inclined to recycle their used shoes if they knew how and where to do it? Or, if not the shoes themselves, what if the boxes were labeled with this type of recycling information?

And for that matter, clothing, too, could be labeled for recycling. That would take so much guesswork out of what to do with used clothing items. It would also serve as a reminder that clothing should never be thrown away in the garbage. It can be recycled in much the same way cardboard and plastic can.

We are really excited to see this standardized labeling system grow. We hope one day that it will stretch into the fashion industry!