Calvin Klein launches Re-Calvin take-back recycling program in the US

Calvin Klein has introduced a new take-back, recycling clothing program in the United States named Re-Calvin to lower the threshold for clothing recycling and disposal for its US customers.

Created in partnership with Trove, a leader in branded resale and customer trade-in, and Debrand, a sortation and circular logistics partner, Re-Calvin is a complimentary program from the PVH. Corp owned brand that helps customers extend the lifecycle of apparel, shoes, and accessories from any brand through donation.

The take-back program recycles, downcycles, or responsibly disposes of used items donated by customers, using waste-to-energy processes when other options are not viable. The new program accepts all apparel categories, including intimates such as bras, swimwear, and underwear, product categories that are frequently excluded from circularity initiatives due to their material composition and difficulty in recycling.

“As Calvin Klein continues its sustainability journey, we are proud to introduce a program that makes circularity more accessible to our customers and delivers alternative uses for pre-loved items,” said David Savman, global brand president of Calvin Klein, in a statement. “It was important that we partner with experts with a proven ability to build and scale programs that handle a wide range of products and categories, making it easier than ever for customers to responsibly extend the life of their items.”

Customers in the US are invited to visit calvinklein.us/re-calvin to print a free shipping label and mail in items from any brand, which are then processed according to Calvin Klein’s established standards and routed through three pathways. Items in good condition are donated or sent to secondhand distribution partners for reuse, while unwearable items, including intimates, are recycled into new fibers when possible or downcycled into materials such as insulation or padding.

Only if no reuse, recycling, or downcycling option are possible will items undergo responsible disposal through waste-to-energy or alternative fuel conversion. Customers then receive an email detailing how their items were processed, offering total transparency. Re-Calvin is powered by Trove’s new Take-back Plug-In, which enables Calvin Klein to manage item intake, routing, and transparency at scale by integrating directly into the brand’s existing US website and supporting a multibrand take-back program that accommodates complex categories such as intimates.

“Re-Calvin marks the first implementation of Trove’s new Take-back Plug-In,” said Terry Boyle, chief executive officer of Trove. “With this launch, Calvin Klein is showing how technology can make responsible choices simple for every customer, accepting items from any brand and across all categories, including intimates, to help keep more textiles in circulation.”

Calvin Klein joins other brands like Carhartt, Michael Kors, and Patagonia in working with Trove to offer resale initiatives.