Two million dollars!! That’s right, $2,000,000. Or rather, $2,124,189 – that’s the total charitable impact SwagCycle has had since we launched in late 2019.
In last year’s impact report, after we had completed our first full year of operation, our total charitable impact was $168,822.18, which we were proud of, especially after the tumultuous 2020 pandemic year. We concluded our 2020 impact report that “we feel like we have a tailwind as we continue in 2021.” That turned out to be quite an understatement, as we more than 10x’ed our prior impact in 2021, both in landfill divergence (items kept out of landfills) as well as charitable impact. Here are our cumulative impact statistics, as of December 31, 2021:
- 776,380 items kept out of landfills (up from 60,418 at the end of 2020)
- Facilitated $2,124,189 in charitable donations!! (up from $168,822.18 at the end of 2020)
When we launched a couple years ago, we didn’t know how the market would react. As the co-leader of one of the larger branded merchandise agencies in the United States, I suspected there would be demand for a frictionless platform enabling organizations to donate or recycle/upcycle their swag rendered obsolete by rebrands and acquisitions. Some of the nation’s leading companies agree, and organizations of all sizes (including Amazon!) have reached out to us to assist in their environmental and/or philanthropic efforts.
Perhaps the most rewarding project we worked on in 2021 was helping the Houston YMCA resettle families from Afghanistan with urgently needed clothing and other supplies. The amazing team at the YMCA reached out to SwagCycle in August to see if we could leverage our network to deliver high-quality products, and, recognizing the gravity and time-sensitive nature of the situation, we immediately reached out to our robust database.
Within a month, more than 10 companies and organizations responded and worked with us to donate tens of thousands of much-needed items to the YMCA. During Q4, that impact expanded significantly, and the team at SwagCycle was proud to play a small role in this resettlement effort.
Here’s the testimonial our contact at YMCA shared with us:
We reached out to SwagCycle to seek high-quality product donations, and we have been blown away by their support and care. Shortly after connecting with the SwagCycle team, YMCA International Services (Houston) began preparing to serve more than 1,000 Afghan arrivals in the next year. Ben and his team sent an urgent call for help to their network and the response has been truly incredible. [Many] in-kind donations from companies and organizations around the United States have come in, and the quality of these products has been fantastic (baby and adult clothing, water bottles, bags, drinkware and a wide array of much-needed and fun swag). I can’t thank the team at SwagCycle enough!
–Sharon Friedman, EdD, YMCA International Services (Houston)
Merchandise gift bags donated by SwagCycle to the YMCA Houston. Graphic courtesy of YMCA International Services (Houston).
Here are some additional highlights from 2021:
- We helped Wunder Creamery (now Norr Organic) donate some very high quality merchandise to Silent Cry. Silent Cry is a New York based non-profit organization that takes a holistic approach to aftercare from mass incarceration, gun violence and trauma. Mandy Geisler, Head of Marketing for Norr Organic, explained how they found SwagCycle and discussed their experience working with us: “Our company went through a name change and we had so much swag left. At first I didn’t know where to turn and who would take all the branded clothing and other items. I searched on Google and SwagCycle popped up. I reached out right away and within an hour I received a response…We were able to locate a local organization and arrange the pick-up of the swag. [The team] has been super helpful with managing communications between our company and the organization. I strongly recommend SwagCycle.”
- We helped a large early childhood education provider donate more than 5,000 face shields in late December, to Incompass Human Services, a Massachusetts-based non-profit organization that provides services, programs, and support to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Dan Esdale, Incompass’ Chief Communications & Marketing Officer, wrote “…the face shields arrived today. Thank you so much for thinking of us, as we’re reinstituting a lot of COVID protocols given the holiday Omicron surge. Given that the people we support in our facility-based programs are immune-compromised, our clinical and program teams are taking all the precautions to keep them safe, and they’re beyond grateful to have these face shields at this time.”
- We facilitated a donation of Moleskine notebooks from a large tech company to Dress for Success in Boston, for their women’s professional networking program. I had the chance to sit down with Janaial Robinson, Director of Operations and Chief of Programs at Dress for Success Boston, to learn more about their work. Here’s a link to the interview on the SwagCycle site.
- Partnered with Royal Apparel on two very large donations of masks. The first one, during which we facilitated a donation of 100,000 masks to the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless and Perfecting Faith Church in Freeport, NY, received some nice industry press coverage.
While a significant amount of our projects have been philanthropic, we have increasingly been asked by companies to assist with recycling and upcycling of their swag, most often their apparel. We have built out a robust recycling network, and we’re thrilled that through these partners, up to 95 percent of clothing and textiles tagged for disposal can be reused or recycled. They can be shredded into industrial rags or reduced to fiber for creation of new products like yarn, paper, insulation and carpet padding. In early 2021, we worked with a large home healthcare organization in Nebraska to responsibly recycle old garments from their field staff after a corporate rebrand. Their cotton shirts became painters’ rags and their polyester/blended apparel was shredded and recycled back into yarn. The primary reason they requested that their goods be recycled rather than donated is that, for the safety and security of their patients, they wanted the obsolete merchandise fully removed from the marketplace.
We also assisted Amazon’s AWS division by recycling some off-brand t-shirts. Elizabeth Sanchez from the AWS team described her experience working with SwagCycle: “[the team] was extremely helpful and patient throughout the entire process. I appreciate the fast response to my questions.”
Podcast interviews:
- SwagCycle was featured on the Sustainability Explored podcast. Sustainability Explored is one of the top-rated sustainability-focused podcasts in the world and has a global audience.
- Over the summer, I had the opportunity to chat with Northeastern University Sustainability Professor Madhavi Venkatesan on her Sustainable Practices radio show/podcast. Have a listen here.
As we enter 2022, some of our priorities include:
- Continuing to expand our charitable footprint, both in the United States and around the globe. We completed a significant donation project to Giving World in the UK over the summer, and continue to get asked about donations in other regions of the world.
- Continuing to build out our recycling capabilities. Although we have recycling options for the majority of branded merchandise, there are still items that prove to be challenging (e.g. silicone straws, insulated drinkware) and we are actively working to build additional recycling partnerships.
- Building more partnerships with other branded merchandise agencies who work closely with end-user companies. Approximately 10-15% of our engagements have come through these types of firms, and we expect to further develop these relationships in the coming year.
During these tumultuous times, it has been incredibly rewarding to be able to leverage our infrastructure and industry expertise to make a positive social and environmental impact. We’re excited at what the future holds for SwagCycle. If you’re reading this and would like to learn more about how SwagCycle can help your company, or are interested in partnering in some way, please reach out.