Adidas is part of a growing number of companies, and ThredUp works with it in its resale-as-a-service program.

Footwear manufacturer Adidas is launching a "choice back" program that allows people to send second-hand products of any brand-clothing, accessories, and sports equipment, such as running shoes and football shirts-back to the company for reuse or re-use in the online market. Resale. The program will be supported by ThredUp's Resale as a Service (RaaS) platform and expertise.

ThredUp is known as the leader in resale and has been building RaaS since 2018. Its first customers are apparel manufacturers and retailers reform. Since then, its customer list (including retailers and clothing manufacturers) has grown to more than 20 companies. Other customers include Gap, Madewell and Abercrombie & Fitch.

"Adidas' new plan uses the resale engine we have built to enable their customers to easily extend the life of their clothes," Pooja Sethi, ThredUp Senior Vice President and RaaS General Manager, wrote in an email response to questions about this story. "Ultimately, the plan aims to extend the life of gears, expand the reuse market and end plastic waste."

The program was launched in the Adidas Creative Club app on October 7th and is free to join. The company plans to expand the program more widely online and in stores across the United States starting in early 2022. It did not disclose the exact date of the extension.

“We worked closely with the Adidas team to establish a customized and scalable resale program to help their customers easily extend the life of their clothes, and we look forward to expanding the program together,” Sethi said.

Here’s how the program currently works for US users of the Adidas Creators Club: through the app, they can generate prepaid shipping labels, fill any brand of clothing, shoes, and accessories in a transportable box, and then send them for free Ship to ThredUp. When ThredUp receives items from customers, the resale company will process, price, take photos, and list the accepted items online for resale in its online marketplace.

Adidas pointed out that customers can send shoes, clothing and accessories regardless of the brand or status. “Products in good condition will be resold through ThredUP, and the rest will be through ThredUP’s textile reuse partner network,” explained Katja Schreiber, Adidas’ senior vice president of sustainability, responding to questions about this story via email.

Adidas rewards customers for products that meet specific quality standards. During this trial period, customers will receive up to 200 Creators Club points or Adidas vouchers based on the quantity and quality of the returned goods. Once customers reach 1,000 Creators Club points, they can get exclusive discounts, birthday gifts and free training resources.

Adidas is using the first phase of the program to resolve any issues related to the process and evaluate incentives to provide customers with the best experience.

"We want to make sure that this process is as seamless as possible before scaling up," Schreiber said. "When testing this plan, we will discover the best way to develop and promote the reuse market, with the goal of preventing some of the environmental impacts associated with manufactured products in the first place."

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