Looking for a way to make your brand or store more sustainable? United Repair Centre are now offering your business a simple way to provide clothing repairs to customers whilst making a positive social impact. Interested? Find out how you can get involved.
As a part of the outdoor industry, we all know that waste from well-used or broken gear is a huge problem. Over the last few years projects and schemes to make outdoor kit more circular have sprung up around the globe, from Technica’s Recycle Your Boots, and Rossignol’s Recyclable Ski, to Cirkel Supply’s snow gear rental, and many more inspired ideas. The difficulty with recycling outdoor gear however, often lies between the seams and seals. Skis and snowboards are made of different layers bonded tightly together, while waterproof fabrics often feature different multiple polymers laminated into one. These layers are difficult to separate and therefore difficult to recycle.
But what if we could keep consumers’ gear in play for longer? Buying quality kit that lasts with the promise of an affordable repair if necessary is becoming increasingly attractive to discerning outdoor enthusiasts. Cue United Repair Centre, who are now making the repair process (for clothing at least) easy for your staff and customers.
URC are offering clothing brands and retailers a strategic partnership that combines expert garment repair services with a clever, easy to use tech platform.
Retailers can offer in-store drop-off repair programmes and brands can provide repair services online via their own branded repair portal. There’s also a complete package of options for engaging customers, including personalised touch points during repairs, storytelling for brand experience, seamless integration for communication, customer connection opportunities, and feedback mechanisms to measure satisfaction and loyalty.
The URC is the result of a collaboration between outdoor brand Patagonia, social enterprise Makers Unite, and the Amsterdam Economic Board. First and foremost, they are social pioneers, on a mission to repair the clothing industry. Globally, there is 92 million kilotons of textile waste generated per year. This is equivalent to a garbage truck of textiles dumped every second – they figured, there must be a better way.
They now provide high quality repair services at their centre in Amsterdam to reduce the volumes of waste.
To date they have repaired 30,000 garments, saving 12 tonnes of textile from landfills and 70,680 KG of CO2.
Late last year, their newest centre in London opened for business attracting brands such as The North Face, Lululemon and Rapha.
What’s more, URC centres also provide local employment opportunities to large segments of the population such as refugees and young adults who face difficulties in accessing the labour market.
“Repair sits at the core of the solution for brands, sowe are focused on demonstrating that it is possible for the clothing industryto put people first, by creating value with textiles that otherwise would bewasted.” Thami Schweichler - CEO
Combining intuitive technology with a sustainable solution for waste while fighting for social justice… We think it’s a win-win. You can find out more information over at URC’s website about how, with their help, you can make repairing gear part of your business.