New Balance is the latest footwear brand to get into the resale game.
According to the Boston-based company, it has launched “Reconsidered,” a new platform where consumers can view and shop for pre-owned shoes—including consumer returns and cosmetically imperfect footwear that cannot be sold as new — that have been cleaned as needed.
The platform will also allow customers to trade in their gently worn New Balance shoes via mail or in-store drop-off and receive a voucher on eligible trade-ins to use toward their next New Balance purchase online at NewBalance.com. Voucher values will be dynamic based on the seasonality and condition of the product traded in, the company said.
New Balance Reconsidered will be made available through the company’s website through the help of two external partners – Archive and Tersus Solutions. The technology to facilitate the experience and fulfillment of these products is supported by Archive, a technology platform for branded resale. Product cleaning, fulfillment, and warehousing are provided by Tersus Solutions, which operates a waterless cleaning technology alongside a suite of textile reclamation solutions for apparel and footwear.
John Stokes, director of sustainability at New Balance, acknowledged in a statement that the footwear industry has a “significant environmental impact,” including too many products ending up in a landfill. ““There are many things that have to shift,” Stokes said. “Launching Reconsidered is one piece of the puzzle with a program objective to help extend product life for some of our product and get the most from what is already made.”
New Balance Reconsidered will be available to customers in the U.S. at newbalancereconsidered.com. The in-store trade-in program will be piloted at eight retail locations before scaling into more U.S. stores later this year.
This launch comes as New Balance works to accomplish big sustainability goals it has set for itself. According to the brand, it is committed to achieving its approved 1.5°C-aligned emissions reduction goals through the Science Based Targets Initiative; sourcing 100 percent renewable electricity for owned operations by 2025; continuing to source lower-impact materials; transitioning to lower carbon transportation; and engaging with governments to help enact better climate policy.
In order to curb waste, many footwear companies have launched their own resale platforms via services like ThredUp, Trove and Recurate. Brands like Steve Madden, Dolce Vita, Allbirds, On, Dr. Martens, Rothy’s and Frye have all jumped on the peer-to-peer re-commerce bandwagon in an effort to reduce the number of shoes that end up in landfills.
