J.Crew teams with Habitat for Humanity in denim buyback

J.Crew is going full steam ahead towards sustainability. The brand has partnered with Habitat for Humanity to expand on the denim buyback program it started in 2014 with sister brand Madewell. The aim of the initiative is to reduce waste in the denim industry through recycling unwanted jeans and uses them to create new materials.

Since the start of J.Crew's work with the Cotton Inc. Blue Jeans Go Green program four years ago, the brand has helped to collection consumer denim so that it can be used as cotton-fiber housing insulation, provided as charity. J.Crew has shared that a typical home can be insulated with the equivalent of 2,000 pairs of jeans.

This year, the majority of J.Crew's denim buyback will be donated to Habitat for Humanity. The nonprofit will use it to help build affordable housing for people in need.

"The partnership, which aims to address the full life cycle of product and speaks to the brand’s deep investment in environmental impact, diverts post-consumer denim from landfills and converting it into a material that helps build communities," J.Crew stated in a press release.

J.Crew and Madewell encourage consumers to donate unwanted denim to any local store of either of the two brands. The brands will buy back gently worn denim for 20 dollars per pair.