Returnado Helps Sustainable Menswear Brand ASKET To Prolong Life Cycle Of Unwanted Garments Once Returned

Swedish startup Returnado, which focuses on the process of return and helps brands across the globe promote a circular economy, is working with slow fashion brand ASKET in its new Revival Program to prolong the lifecycle of its garments long after the return period through its new Returnado Rescue platform.

Returnado has launched Returnado Rescue, a technology that has been co-developed along with Stockholm-based ASKET, that offers its existing cloud-based modular solutions for brands that are looking to promote a citcular economy through its return and exchange processes.

Through this dedicated consumer-facing online platform, companies can collect items that have been returned and irrespective of their condition, can be transformed into new garments ether through ways of resale, remanufacture or recycling. Plus, in exchange for consumers returning their products, they receive a voucher through which they can buy new items.

Returnado takes all these clothes and through their system, assigns the best way possible to bring life to these products that would otherwise end up in landfills as the Ellen MacArthur Foundation predicts that around 75% of unwanted textiles end up in landfills or incinerators.

ASKET, a brand that refrains from the seasonal collections that fuel fast fashion, provides garments intended to last more than just five washes, has unveiled its Revival Program which will use Returnado’s new technology. Through its self-service trade-in page, consumers can register on the platform, after which they will receive information on the shipping address and once they post the garment and the company receives it, they will get a voucher to invest in new ones.

In a press release seen by Green Queen, CEO and founder of Returnado, Haider Abdo said given that the company is one of the leading providers of online returns technology, the team realizes that it is critical to break the fashion industry’s linear production model. “By extending the life of an item, we also extend the life of the resources required to make it. That is why when ASKET, a brand synonymous with ending over consumption, reached out to Returnado about doing this project, we were more than happy to collaborate and use our knowledge and tech to support their vision. We are delighted to be able to open up this technology to help brands all around the world move towards more holistic and sustainable business models.”

As one of the leading providers of online returns technology, we are acutely aware of the need to break the fashion industry’s linear production model. By extending the life of an item, we also extend the life of the resources required to make it.

Haider Abdo, CEO and founder of Returnado

Before this collaboration, Returnado has worked with ASKET as its global returns solution playing a crucial role in providing a smooth returns service to the latter’s consumers.

Co-founder of ASKET, Jakob Dworsky, said: “Since launching, our philosophy has always been to create clothes that stand the test of time ensuring they are worn and used more, but now 6 years in, we learnt that some of our customers are done with their pieces. Having already entrusted Returnado with our returns process, we believed that they would be the perfect partner to help us take the process a step further and claim responsibility for our garments at the end of their useful life.”

In addition, Returnado is working with Norwegian clothing and sports equipment manufacturer Helly Hansen; Nordic interior designers, RoyalDesign; U.K. outdoor clothing suppliers (and Royal Warrant holders), Musto and contemporary sail wear brand Henri Lloyd.

The U.N. has reported that the fashion industry contributes 10% of carbon emissions, with garment production accounting for a huge part of this and according to E.U., on average, each individual in Europe consumes around 26kg of clothes every year with around 11kgs of that just being discarded.

Read: Is A Circular Capsule Wardrobe The Answer To Being (Sustainably) Fashionable?

Lead image courtesy of Returnado.