In a global consumer marketplace where sustainability is no longer optional, two unexpected partners are redefining sustainable fashion initiatives. Join Shelley, Kim, and Anna as they unveil how Cotton Incorporated and Zappos are turning sustainability rhetoric into tangible action, challenging the status quo and setting new benchmarks for industry collaboration. Discover how these industry giants are transforming post-consumer denim into valuable resources, leveraging ecommerce infrastructure to make sustainability accessible to all consumers, and educating the next generation about circularity and its impact on their future. This isn’t just another conversation about sustainability—it’s a masterclass in innovative partnerships, consumer engagement, and future-focused business strategies. For retail executives looking to stay ahead of the curve, listen in and learn how to harness collective industry power, align in sustainable fashion initiatives and turn potential competitors into powerful allies for global impact.
Special Guests
Kim Kitchings: Senior Vice President, Consumer Marketing, Cotton IncorporatedÂ
Anna Copilevitz: Lead Program Manager, Zappos for GoodÂ
Transcript
Transcript by Descript:
Together, when we’re combining our expertise, you know, we created this solution for getting well loved denim from any user across the US to a recycling facility and out of a landfill. Retail Unwrapped is a weekly podcast hosted by Shelley Kohan from the Robin Report.
Hi everyone, and thanks for joining our weekly podcast. I’m Shelley Kohan, and I’m very excited to welcome Kim Kitchings, Senior Vice President Consumer Marketing at Cotton Incorporated. And also Anna Copilevitz, who is the lead program manager at Zappos for Good. So welcome. Great to be here. Thanks for having us, Shelley.
Thank you for having me. This is a really great opportunity. Awesome. Well, I’m so thrilled to have you both on Retail Unwrapped. You know, sustainability, circularity and taking action together. And one of the things that I really love is this idea of driving change through industry collaboration. And so we’re going to jump right into our topics.
And one of the things I just want to mention is one of the things I love about. The story between Cotton Incorporated and Zappos is that you’re really turning talk into action. And I love this idea of our, I’m so fond of the industry and there’s this whole collective power of the industry. And so this is such a great story for that.
So we’re going to talk a little bit about What progress looks like and what’s going to happen, you know, what is going to happen with future consumers. So we’ll jump into our first topic, which is talking about circularity, sustainability in fashion apparel industries, which we all know are enormous efforts.
You know, how can companies take action and where can they start?
Sure, would you like me to start, Shelley? That’d be awesome, Kim. Happy to. It is such a big issue, Shelley. You’re exactly right. When you talk about sustainability and other types of things, even when we look at climate change or greenhouse gas emissions, what can we each do to that? And what we’ve done is we’ve looked at an approach that says start small.
I was listening to a podcast the other day. She talked about care small. What can you do to help your neighbors? So what we started doing was 20 years ago, we started looking at life cycle analysis and other things and understanding that there was a role for the cotton industry at the end of life for the garments.
Although we don’t own any of the garments, we certainly own the ingredient that makes that garment special or what we think makes it special. so we wanted to make sure there was a footprint there or a lack thereof, however you want to look at that, for the cotton industry. So we thought, what could we do?
How can we keep cotton out of the landfill and then turn it into something new? so we started looking for those opportunities and we found those with Denim. we looked, about 18 years ago, started the program Blue Jeans Go Green. And that’s where we could start working with other companies, brands, and retailers and help them keep cotton.
And then turn it into something new and that something new was really to find a different in uses for recycled cotton. So, when we first started Shelley, it was into insulation and primarily insulation and homes. For many of the homes, it would be those that have been affected by natural disasters, such as a hurricane that we’re going through right now
It’s really how we’ve got our beginning, but as things progress, we’ve looked at the use of insulation and other goods to be food packaging during cobit. could also be things such as pet beds, which I’m very excited about coming in the future. So, again, we, we looked at something. We certainly what we started 18 years ago is very different than what it is today.
That’s an amazing story. I love the different, families of business that you’re talking about too, you know, especially the pet ones. Yeah, yeah, and yeah, that really gets people involved from from different ways, because some have the intention of wanting to keep things out of the landfill really care about what’s going on with the environment.
But then others care about what do you do with it? What happens next? And how can we give back and give back in different ways? So retailers and brands participate for different reasons. Some are very traditional and how the program is set up. that come in and they collect the denim, maybe offer a discount
And then it comes to us, but then others such as Zappos come in and they get involved in a very different way with us and are very innovative in the way they look at their opportunity and how they can give back. So we’ve been very fortunate to work with them. That’s great. So Anna, you know, maybe you can start by just telling our listeners what Zappos for good is, and then tell us, you know, what you’re doing in terms of circularity and sustainability.
For sure, yeah. So Zappos for Good is the charitable arm of Zappos. com. we are a legacy online retailer, really focusing on footwear. and we, Zappos for Good is really just all about, doing good for our community at large. whether that’s through recycling efforts, donation efforts, And that can be in kind donations, volunteering within our community.
So we kind of house everything having to do in the like for good space. so with our partnership with Cotton, that is through our, what we like to call, our give and recycle programs. and we provide prepaid shipping labels so that customers can. Log on, print it off for free, and load up any box they have in their house, with their old cotton denim and send it directly to Cotton’s, collection facility in Arizona to be recycled and repurposed and turned into something new.
So really focusing on making the program accessible for customers all across the U. S. That’s amazing. And one of the things I think that you’ve really talked about in the past is this idea of brand and ethos and DNA and how it really has to come through that way. Can you talk a little bit about that?
Yeah. So I think it’s important to recognize that, you know, every company most likely can’t solve every problem and that’s okay. So you really need to look at your strengths, what your key value props are, and. You know how you can leverage them to create change even as a starting point. cause it has to make sense for your brand, right?
So for Zappos, we are an online retailer and our entire business is really built upon strong brand partnerships and creating a customer centric. Experience. So, we looked at our business model with UPS and realized, you know, we could utilize our existing services to elevate organizations like cottons, recycling efforts.
And, at the same time, we wanted to better serve our customers. So, you know, help them create more circular habits. They’re coming to us for something new. Let’s help them, you know, find a way to, You know, in with the new out with the old, but in a sustainable way. so. That’s great. And I do think that brands have to really stick true to their DNA and their brand ethos.
And, you know, you’re right. You can’t do everything all the time. So you really have to kind of focus in on things that most resonate for your consumers and your brand. So let’s talk a little bit about, so originally when I learned about Cotton Incorporated and Zappos, my first brain went, what an unlikely pair.
But, you know, maybe, Kim, you can talk a little bit about this idea of, you know, harnessing the collective power of our entire industry. Sure. Well, you know, when you look for partnerships, you look for ones that can leverage the program. Some come in, again, very traditional, brick and mortar, the collected in store, they offer the incentives that we talked about earlier.
Others come in and they’re looking for corporate social responsibility. So maybe they’re companies that do internal drives. That collect the denim and then give it back. And by the way, when we’re collecting denim, it has to be a minimum of 90 percent cotton. That helps us when we’re cycling through the insulation.
That’s important. So, there’s some messaging that comes with it, too, such as check the label and other benefits that are very important to consumers and how you talk with them. So, some of our partners come in very traditional, some like the CSR route. Then we’ve also had. Some colleges and universities that come in differently as well and their approach to work with us.
And fortunately, then we met with Zappos in about 2019, I think Anna said, and came in and started looking at how can we help and what is one of the ways or the pain points that you have. And with the program, one of the costs is transportation. And if you look for so many consumers that do not live in urban areas, that live in rural areas and can’t get to some of the partners we’ve had, or some come in and out of the program, and they don’t have an opportunity, but they want to contribute, now they can do that.
They have that option, and not only do they have an option, it’s a very convenient one. I mean, you go to your computer, you download it, and you’re able to send it back. And almost everyone has a UPS store, so they’re able to utilize that as well. So just a wonderful partnership that you would not have expected because at the time we were working with Zappos, primarily, still maybe is, I don’t know, I’ll let Anna speak to that, shoes is what you think of first, but other things too, and so just a great opportunity for any of us in the industry to look out and see it.
Well, what can we do? How can we give back with the resources we have? And what is our specialty? Again, sometimes I think we look at things and we think the issue is just just too much to tackle. So we never make progress. So you start small and then you grow. Definitely. So Anna, tell us a little bit about your experience with the partnership.
Yeah. So Zappos is kind of known as being a leader in the online space, in the footwear industry, but a lot of people don’t always know that we also sell clothing and accessories. However, for Zappos for good, as I mentioned before, for us, it’s really about doing like what’s right and what’s good, especially when it comes to our customers and our community.
That’s really what our mission is all about. So. We look for partners that we can, you know, we really admire the work that they’re doing, that we can really grow a partnership, we can work together to create solutions, and we really saw that with, with cotton. so while it might seem a little bit untraditional for, for a retailer like Zappos to, you know, find a solution for cotton denim, at the end of the day, that’s what’s best for our community and that’s what’s best for our customer and that’s what we’re here to serve.
We want to make sure that they’re having the best experience. And for collaboration, I mean, you know, a lot of times you’re when you’re able to create more efficient solutions because of the varying expertise you have, right? So, I think for Zappos, we are really the experts when it comes to customer service and shipping and accessibility.
And obviously cotton is the experts are the experts when it comes to, you know, their, their knowledge and fibers and materials and. the infrastructure that they have built with this recycling program. So together, when we’re combining our expertise, you know, we created this solution for getting well loved denim from any user across the U.
So, to a recycling facility and out of a landfill, and collaboratively, whoo! We are creating a stronger program than if we were to attempt these efforts individually because we’re tapping into that expertise and working together. Thank you, Anna. That’s really interesting. And I love how you talked about the key strengths because in our industry, obviously, Zappa is known for service.
And, you know, Fulfillment and Cotton Incorporated, obviously known for all the work that they’ve been doing and they’ve been doing recycling efforts for such a long period of time. So when you combine the two, it becomes very powerful. So let’s, let’s talk for a second about progress. You know, is it making a difference?
And maybe we’ll start Kim with you. Yes, sure. it’s definitely making a difference. So when we first started the program 18 years ago, it was more transactional. So you come in, you give the denim, hopefully you get some type of incentive off, maybe a new purchase that helps to get people in the door and talk about it.
And then it goes, to the sorter, turns into insulation, but now when we look at it, we’re doing so much more than that. Now, not to discount that we’ve collected millions of different denim items for the program, and we’ve kept over 2, 600 tons of denim items in the landfill, so that is significant, without a doubt, but we’ve also evolved the program over time, where we’re doing messaging On a different topic, so it could be messaging related to something that we would consider in the industry, more simple, such as natural or recyclable, but that’s consumer speak.
But then we’re also including things about what does circularity truly mean? We’ve got research, Shelley, that tells us that the average consumer thinks circularity could be about fashion trends. Oh my gosh. It could be about styles on your apparel, circular, literally, even circulation for blood. The most don’t understand that circularity is tied.
So we look at that opportunity to use this platform to talk about circularity and even other things, such as carbon sequestration. And what that means, and it gets more detailed than that, but there’s no doubt that the natural recyclables, what really resonates with consumers over time. Also, we’ve evolved the program to include influencers.
We have one every month. Now we have a special program going on right now that we’re testing with meta and tick tock, but we’re very excited about talking about designers and what they do with with their use denim and how they recycle and what partners they work with in the blue jeans go green program.
And then. And also someone that travels significantly. She’s doing some work for us now. So we’re looking at ways to make a difference, to educate, to really impact, so it goes beyond just what we collect and what we keep out of the landfill, but hopefully and also of course what we contribute to those that have a need for insulation and different items too that we can give back to.
So we’re really excited about that. And then just one other, item I’ll mention is that since we have almost two decades of experience, we were able to work with another, company in the industry, Cotton Council International, and start a program in the UK called Cotton Lives On. This 1 is slightly different in that it has all cotton products that can be collected and recycled.
And we started this program over cobit when we were shut down and we’re able to develop a supply chain in that in the direction of Andrea Samber and to go through there and develop that to partners together. And what we do with those recycled goods is we, we still use insulation, but we put them into what’s called roll mat.
Or they’re a type of a smaller mattress that helps the homeless in the UK, which is a significant issue there. So we’re also giving back, in a community there that’s a different approach. And many in this industry and listening to this podcast will of course know the importance of the EU and regulations and what’s going on in that market.
So we did want to have an intentional footprint there as far as the cotton industry and show what we could do to help keep cotton items out of landfills. Honestly, the work that you’re doing is just unbelievable. And for any of our listeners, we could literally spend the whole podcast going through all the efforts and work that Cotton Incorporated has done.
So go to the website, the website’s amazing. And check out all the work that they have been doing for the past two decades. And also, they have tons of great reports and stuff. So please check that out. Anna, anything you want to add in terms of, This topic. Yeah, I think for us, you know, it’s really looking at how we can continue to support cotton by promoting, the program, encouraging it to grow, encouraging reach across customers in the U S.
In the five years that we have been supporting the program, we have really seen some strong year over year growth. Our first full year of operation was in 2020 and looking at 2020 versus 2023. The last full year of operation, we saw a 70 percent increase in the amount of denim that came through our program.
I think a lot of that goes back to how we have tried to market it, how we’ve tried to incorporate into our site and other campaigns. Redoing the cotton Blue jeans go green landing page on zappos for good making sure that it is really, easy to understand easy to access we’re conveying the message properly to the customer so they know How to engage and where that denim goes So, you know, with the success of the program, we’ve expanded to include the meal kit installation liners.
We’ve seen growth there. so I think, you know, I’d like to think it’s making a difference when we’re looking at numbers and we would like to just continue to support and, you know, find other ways that we can continue to promote the program and, you know, make sure that our customers, our other brand partners, even other community partners, are introduced to it and can find ways to support.
Congratulations on all the work that you’re doing. It is just amazing. So thank you for that. And thank you for taking care of our earth. I want to go back to something. Kim, you said about this idea of, circularity and the consumer and so I, I agree with you. I mean, I think all consumers get sustainability and maybe don’t understand circularity.
So how can we really educate the consumer? How can we affect the future consumers? Well, I can tell you what we’re doing. what we’re doing is we’re present on and have been for years on college campuses and looking at the youth and starting with them because we know that they have a significant interest in the environment.
We’ve been with more than 100 colleges, almost 1 in every state, I like to say, over the program thus far, but not only on college campuses, but we also had curriculum developed for 2nd through 12th grade. Again, you want to talk to them when they’re young, when they’re learning and when they’re interested and what you can help shape about, whether it’s cotton cultivation, it’s checking the label while that matters, or certainly recycling and the Blue Jeans Go Green program.
We’ve had other activities. For youth as well, so I think look for those opportunities and how to educate and introduce these terms. And you start with simple terms like natural, and then you build up into other areas to help educate as they grow. We have some research that recently came out from a global sustainability study that we did.
It talked about why people recycle and what what they care about. What we found is that consumers may be more in our age range, Shelley. Look, and they talk about they do it because it’s the right thing to do. But when you start to look at Generation Z, they talk about they do it because it’s going to make an impact for themselves.
And I bring that up not to say that I think that generation is selfish at all. That’s not what I’m saying. I’ll bring it up because what we know with consumer behavior is when something affects a consumer or any of us directly, individually, that’s when we care and we take action. So I’m very hopeful with this generation coming up that we will see some significant changes and differences because they care.
And they care because they understand it does affect them and their daily life. And when you start to view it differently, then it’s just the right thing to do. That gives you more of an incentive. So, so that’s some of the things that we’re starting to see in our research and the activity. And some of, I mentioned the influencer content that we’re doing in other ways, we’re looking to grow the program.
And over the years now, we’ve developed case studies about ways to talk to consumers about sustainability in different generations. You know, how, how we are working and who we’re working with. So we offer that to, to our brands and partners, when they work with us on Blue Jeans Go Green. That’s great.
And the only thing I’ll have to disagree with you on Kim is that I have two Gen Z boys and I’m just going to tell you, it is all about them. They are absolutely the center of their world. So I don’t know, I would disagree on that one, but you know, it’s true. So, and I think I told you last year on campus here at Fashion Institute of Technology.
We saw all the Cotton Incorporated, there were a bunch of bins and recycle and it was awesome to see that. And Anna, so you don’t feel left out, I want you to know that we talk about Zappos in our leadership course. So yeah, so we’re all connected that way too. So I do think getting to the youth is important because, you know, that is the future consumer, right?
And anything you want to talk about in terms of that younger generation or, you know, really anything that you’re doing to educate those future consumers? For sure. I mean, I think a lot of it goes back to, you know, educating them and making it accessible for them. So helping them to understand why it’s important, creating easy solutions for them that are, that are free.
It’s not making them do a lot of extra work. and then just helping them to establish these, these habits, right? So kind of going back to the idea of someone’s coming to Zappos to buy something new, like an easy thing for us to be able to do is provide them with a solution to bring something into their closet, move something out of their closet.
So it really can be as, as simple as that, you know, cotton has some really amazing partners, with brick and mortar stores, making it easy for customers to go and drop off their cotton denim with the Zappos for good program. You don’t want to leave your house. I know I am very fond of online shopping, obviously.
So being able just to print out a label and drop it off at a UPS store that’s close to you, or even schedule a pickup, is really easy. And so I think it’s just continuing to create these free, accessible solutions and then making sure that, you know, our, our, our generations and customers out there are know that they’re available to them, continuing to promote it.
So. I know I started off, at Zappos actually as a, fresh out of college. I was a, an intern actually. and I was learning about all of these things, you know, over 10 years ago back then. And it’s why I wanted to come and work at Zappos. And, you know, so I think a lot of it goes back to, you know, what Kim was talking about, the education for, and getting into these colleges and, and, getting these students involved at a young age.
So, That’s great. So, typically I don’t give my audience and listeners homework to do, but I’m going to give them homework to do today. And the homework I’m going to give them is what I would call a call to action. I’m going to tell listeners to go and recycle your old denim through Zappos for good, or local partners.
Definitely visit the Blue Jeans Go Green website. Because there’s tons of information on that. And lastly, you know, please reach out and connect with Compton Incorporated to join the program and really help make a difference. So that’s your three things I’m going to have our listeners do as homework.
And then Kim or Anna, any closing thoughts that you would like to make? Yeah, just no, thank you for the time. And when they go to the website, bluejeans go green dot org, they can fill out a form there. If they want to participate in the program in some form or fashion or get more information as well as the Zappos for good, their label is there and they can go to their site.
And then the other participating retailers are working with us currently are updated on that site. So they can go in and see where they can drop 1 off if they prefer to do that in person. And the other thing I would say to your listener, Shelley, is, Really encourage them to look at what they can do.
To take a step in the direction and start to look, not everything’s going to be a success in the beginning. We’ve done a lot of things that have changed over time in our program, but you have to start, start small, look for partners in the industry, outside of the industry, what they’re doing, how you can make a difference and contribute.
And that’s, that’s really what we want to do is inspire that and to really care about people, planet. What what’s occurring in, we’re trying to make a difference. One pair of jeans at a time and any closing thoughts. Yeah. Yeah. You know, kind of to, to echo Kim, I think, you know, a lot of companies out there might think, Oh, there’s nothing that I can do, or this doesn’t fit within my business model or, or our DNA as a brand, and I would challenge them to kind of go back and rethink through that because there are certain changes, even if they’re small that you can make, I, you know, myself am not at the C suite level and I have been working to try to drive this change, through Zappos, using the services that we have, and still keeping our, you know, key customer at the front of that experience.
So I think it’s important to not get overwhelmed with the idea of I have to do everything, or I have to totally rework. our business model to create or drive some sort of change and look at what you can do. Look at what’s within your control. or what your strengths are as a business, even if, if it’s just, you know, supporting other organizations outside of your own.
There is still something that you can do as a starting point. so I would encourage that. Anna, here’s what I would say. You’re not in the C suite yet. Yet, okay, you’re gonna get there real soon. So I want to thank Anna you and Kim. I want to thank you for being here, for our listeners if you have any feedback or you want to give us comments, please go to the robinreport.com.
Contact us and you can provide us with some feedback next week. We have on our podcast is Alvinon, and we have the CEO Janice Wang on and she always is a fun conversation and she’ll have lots of insights about the fashion apparel business. So thank you so much. Thank you for listening to Retail Unwrapped.
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