The North Face offers circular design collections
The North Face is introducing new products designed for maximum sustainability.
The vertical outdoor apparel and gear retailer is releasing the first items from its Renewed Design Residency. Initially launched in February 2020, the program trains designers at the brand in the principles of circular design.
Starting with items in two of the retailer’s major collections, Osito and Auburn, The North Face Circular Design is intended to minimize waste and enable cycle-ability when the products are no longer usable. It includes a new labeling system for consumers and recycling partners, as well as a re-launch of its take-back program later this month
In 2021, The North Face announced its latest commitments to make 100% of the top materials used for The North Face apparel responsibly sourced recycled, regenerative, or renewable by 2025. The retailer’s new circular design initiative is part of that larger effort.
The North Face Circular Design centers around four tenets: material choice, designed for cycle-ability, designing out waste, and designing for durability. These efforts include choosing single fiber materials and trims to make the garment easier to disassemble and increase the raw materials recovery for recycling.
The products include circular design and disassembly labeling systems intended to educate consumers, as well as improve the process of repair, reuse and recovery for consumers and recycling partners.
The North Face says it will continue to roll out circular principals each season, impacting more of its core product lines and scaling circularity within its offerings.
In addition, the company plans to re-launch its take-back program under the Renewed name later in October 2022. Partnering with clean technology and logistics company Tersus Solutions, The North Face will enable consumers to bring in both Circular Design products, and other The North Face products to drop off at The North Face stores in new Renewed Take-Back bins. Members of the retailer’s XPLR Pass loyalty program will be eligible to receive a $10 credit for returned gear, to use online or in-store.
Returned items will be washed, tuned-up and resold through Renewed If they can’t be repaired, The North Face will recycle or donate them as part of our commitment to circularity, and Circular Design products will be recycled back into raw materials through the company’s recycling partner Unifi.
The North Face initially announced it would revamp its Renewed program in May 2022. In addition to partnering with Tersus, the company is collaborating with resale technology provider Archive technology to obtain visibility into the full lifecycle of a Renewed item, from warehouse arrival through fulfillment.
The North Face can obtain information on goods in the Renewed supply chain including product identification, cleaning, repairs, and site listing. The retailer leverages this visibility to help ensure that each product receives appropriate attention, such as an item that need repair, compared to one that is in like-new condition ready to be cleaned and listed, or an item that needs to be recycled and not resold.
In addition, The North Face will utilize expanded access to product information to more accurately price pieces for resale, as well as to better understand how products are holding up with time. Ultimately, the retailer intends to enable a data-led feedback loop to product design.