Outdoor performance and lifestyle brand Merrell has unveiled ‘This Is Home’, a multi-year sustainability initiative designed to inspire consumers to protect nature.
The campaign will focus on digital, social and connected TV while showcasing how Merrell footwear and apparel that is made with more sustainable materials. The goal is to inspire people to get outside while minimizing their environmental impact.
To kick off the inaugural year of This Is Home, Merrell is launching a multinational product takeback and resale program called Merrell ReTread. According to the company, this will save 300,000 pairs of footwear from landfills.
‘This first of its kind program introduces the takeback economy to the footwear industry and is a step towards a more circular economy.’
As part of Merrell’s commitment to sustainability, the company partnered with ReCircled to implement Merrell ReTread. The program, which launches in July in the UK, Spain, France, Germany, Benelux, Sweden and Finland, gives consumers the opportunity to give back Merrell footwear.
Once received, the footwear will be repaired and refurbished for resale, broken down for use in new products, or recycled for alternative uses.
“The role of This is Home is to ignite our emotional connection to the outdoor environments around us, by encouraging people to deepen their experiences locally,” said Chris Hufnagel, Global Brand President of Merrell.
“We believe the outdoors is a place that people can always come home to, and that is why we are committed to preserve and protect the places we recreate. The Merrell ReTread program is a firm step in our sustainable commitment, enabling us to extend the life of our Merrell footwear and giving people more options to minimize their environmental footprint.”
To participate in the Merrell ReTread program, consumers can visit retread.merrell.com to obtain a free return label to ship their used Merrell footwear to ReCircled. Once the shipment is collected, consumers will receive a €/£20 off promotion code to either purchase new Merrell footwear or apparel.
The ReTread program will continue to expand internationally, with plans to launch across EMEA later this year.
Merrell has made a number of pledges to deepen its commitment to sustainability through its This Is Home initiative. The company recently announced sustainability goals it is striving to meet or exceed by 2025. This includes:
- 100% of products to contain organic, recycled, or renewable materials
- 100% responsibly sourced apparel materials
- Reduce shoe and apparel samples by 50%
- Reduce plastic packaging
- Complete 10,000 volunteer hours
- Save 300,000 pairs of footwear from ending up in landfills through ReTread program
