Environment
Starting from The Inside
Professional Development
At S&S, we strive to create a path of opportunity for our employees. We are creating professional development and training programs and recently hosted our first Women’s Leadership Forum.
Inclusive Workforce
At S&S, we want everyone to feel welcome, included, and capable of success. Our newly formed Culture Council will focus on improving our employee experience.
Corporate Philanthropy
Philanthropy is rooted in our history, and we’re proud to support people in the communities we serve. Through our S&S Grant Program, we’re able to reach organizations all over the country and provide them with an apparel grant to support their goals and mission.
Over the years we’ve participated in volunteer days with organizations like Gotta Have Sole and Operation Gratitude, as well as hosted blood drives, supply drives for the Ukraine, and other local charities.
Finally, we’ve initiated a multi-year project with our partners at Tultex to help build water towers in remote and underserved communities in Mexico. Be on the lookout for more to come!
Occupational Health & Safety
We aim to build a culture where all employees contribute to and take ownership of maintaining a safe work environment. We will continue to pursue Health & Safety improvements through various initiatives.
Safety Training
Ensuring our teams are properly trained in all safety procedures for each job is imperative to their success. We provided 10,972 hours of safety training in 2023, ensuring each distribution center is well-equipped with the knowledge of proper machine operating procedures, safe lifting, restocking, and order packing.
Creating a Flexible Workplace
At S&S, we aim to balance flexibility, productivity, and collaboration. As such, we’ve embraced hybrid opportunities that provide benefits of both remote and in-person work environments.
Energy Management
LEED Certified
Our Lockport, IL distribution center is LEED certified. LEED certification is a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement and leadership, and is available for virtually all building types. LEED provides a framework for healthy, efficient, and cost-saving green buildings.
High-Effenciency Lighting
We use LED lighting in all of our facilities. In addition, our warehouse lighting is activated by motion sensors. When the aisles aren’t occupied, we’re not wasting energy.
Lifetime Solar Energy Generated
8,959,149 kWh as of Q2 2024
We’ve installed solar paneling systems at our Reno, Fort Worth, Olathe, Lockport, and McDonough distribution centers as well as our corporate headquarters. As of Q2 2024, we have generated over 8.9M kWh of renewable energy across all 6 locations. That’s equivalent to over 15.6M miles not driven.
Lifetime stats across all 6 locations with solar energy:
Gallons of gasoline not used as of Q2 2024
Lbs. of coal not burned as of Q2 2024
Lbs. of garbage recycled as of Q2 2024
Mature trees grown as of Q2 2024
kWh of solar energy created as of Q2 2024
Miles not driven as of Q2 2024
Events and Travel
We utilize a sustainability checklist to help prioritize events and travel planning options that consider the impact on the planet and our communities.
Cutting back on water consumption
By installing low flow toilets and waterless urinals at our facilities, we saved an estimated over 120,000 gallons of water as of Q2 2023.
Shipping
Freight Optimizer
Designed to create shipping efficiencies, our freight optimizer tool allows customers to choose shipping options that are more efficient for their needs and can help cut back on excess freight.
Zone Skipping
We’ve implemented a zone skipping program, or otherwise known as freight consolidation. This means our shipments are presorted at the point of origin based on its final destination before the carrier takes possession.
Waste Management
Recycling
Boxes: We make an effort to reuse boxes still in good condition for shipping our orders. We’re proud that we only ship a small percentage of our orders using brand-new boxes, greatly reducing our cardboard waste.
Paper Recycling Baskets: We’ve also chosen to place paper-recycling bins throughout our offices, so it's a cinch for office employees to recycle their paper waste.
Recycling Stations: Our office lunchrooms include individual receptacles, so our employees and guests can recycle their paper, aluminum, and plastic.
Textiles: We partnered with Give Back Box to create a textile recycling program and help provide a solution for textile waste. As of 2023 we’ve donated over 70,000 pounds of clothing.
Reduction of Single Use Plastics
Water Refilling Stations: We've installed water refill stations in most of our facilities so employees can use their refillable water bottles. We're happy to say we've saved over 610,000 water bottles as of Q2 2023 since the installation of these stations.
Sustainable Materials
To qualify, each product must contain 50% of at least one of the following materials OR meet one of the following certifications or standards.
Achieving certifications/meeting standards implies some aspect of the garment (whether it be the material, facility, and/or the entire finished product) has been certified/meets standards set by the noted party. Brands must be using the same percentage of these materials 100% of the time and be able to provide the appropriate documentation.
Materials
Cotton from the Better Cotton Initiative
The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), or just Better Cotton for short, is the largest cotton sustainability program in the world. Our mission is to help cotton communities survive and thrive, while protecting and restoring the environment. In just over a decade, we have convinced stakeholders who span the industry to be our partners. Farmers, ginners, spinners, vendors, manufacturers, brand owners, retailers, civil society organizations, donors and governments. They buy into our approach of training farming communities to produce cotton in ways that improve things for everyone, and everything connected with this fluffy white staple.
Organic Cotton
Organic cotton is grown in agricultural systems that work with nature, rather than against it. The organic way of farming combines tradition, innovation, and science to benefit the environment, promoting fair relationships and improved quality of life for all.
Organic farming systems have the potential to sustain and promote the health of soils, ecosystems, and people by relying on ecological processes, biodiversity, and cycles that are adapted to local conditions, rather than using external inputs that could have adverse effects.
Recycled Polyester
Recycled polyester comes from any polyester-based source that’s been mechanically or chemically recycled to create a material that matches the quality of virgin polyester as closely as possible.
Recycled Canvas
Recycled canvas is simply canvas that has been made from recycled materials, typically cotton or polyester.
Recycled Cotton
Recycled cotton can be generally defined as converting cotton fabric into cotton fiber that can be reused in textile products. Recycled cotton is also commonly referred to as regenerated cotton, reclaimed cotton, or shoddy.
The product comes from a vendor that utilizes the Product Tools from the Higg Index
The Higg Index is a suite of tools for the measurement of value chain sustainability—developed by Cascale, formerly Sustainable Apparel Coalition, and hosted exclusively on Worldly.
Product Tools Include:
- The Materials Sustainability Index and Product Module provide information about the impact of materials used in the apparel, footwear, and home textile industries.
Material Certifications
The product comes from a vendor that has achieved a bluesign® certification
From fiber to finished product, we partner with brands, manufacturers, and chemical suppliers because the world needs safer workplaces and textile products that are less impactful on the environment and people.
Consumers can trust that bluesign® labeled textiles and products from the chemical inputs to the final production have met the strictest standards throughout the supply chain.
The product comes from a vendor that is meeting the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)
Our mission is the development, implementation, verification, protection and promotion of the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). This standard stipulates requirements throughout the supply chain for both ecological and labor conditions in textile and apparel manufacturing using organically produced raw materials. Organic production is based on a system of farming that maintains and replenishes soil fertility without the use of toxic, persistent pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. In addition, it includes welfare standards for animal husbandry and prohibits genetically modified organisms.
The product comes from a vendor that is meeting the Global Recycled Standard (GRS)
The Global Recycled Standard (GRS) is an international, voluntary, full product standard that sets requirements for third-party certification of Recycled Content, chain of custody, social and environmental practices, and chemical restrictions. The goal of the GRS is to increase use of Recycled materials in products and reduce/eliminate the harm caused by its production.
The product comes from a vendor that is meeting the Organic Content Standard (OCS)
The Organic Content Standard (OCS) is an international, voluntary standard that provides chain of custody verification for materials originating on a farm certified to recognized national organic standards. The standard is used to verify organically grown raw materials from the farm to the final product.
The product comes from a vendor that is meeting the standard for OEKO-TEX® Organic Cotton
Our ORGANIC COTTON certification offers verification from farm to product. Products bearing this label have been manufactured without the use of GMO and tested for pesticides and other harmful substances.
Sustainable Manufacturing
To qualify for this category a product must meet one of the following.
Achieving certifications/meeting standards implies some aspect of the garment (whether it be the material, facility, and/or the entire finished product) has been certified/meets standards set by the noted party.
The product comes from a vendor that has publicly set carbon negative goals
Carbon negative requires a company to remove more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than it emits.
The product comes from a vendor that has publicly set net zero goals
Net zero means that any carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere from the company’s activities is balanced by an equivalent amount being removed. Net zero emissions must also consider the other greenhouse gases including methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases. Click here for more info on Net zero
The product comes from a vendor that has publicly set carbon neutral goals
In a carbon neutral organization there is a commitment to evaluate the CO2 emissions produced. This is coupled with finding ways to reduce those emissions and with compensating for these by reducing emissions elsewhere, or by removing an equal amount of CO2 from the atmosphere.
This balancing practice is known as carbon offsetting and could involve planting new trees or investing in renewable energy, or with for example bioenergy carbon capture and storage (BECCS).
Carbon neutral can cover a defined part of business operations, and typically accounts for CO2 emissions and not other greenhouse gases.
Cotton from the Better Cotton Initiative
The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), or just Better Cotton for short, is the largest cotton sustainability program in the world. Our mission is to help cotton communities survive and thrive, while protecting and restoring the environment. In just over a decade, we have convinced stakeholders who span the industry to be our partners. Farmers, ginners, spinners, vendors, manufacturers, brand owners, retailers, civil society organizations, donors and governments. They buy into our approach of training farming communities to produce cotton in ways that improve things for everyone, and everything connected with this fluffy white staple.
The product comes from a vendor that has achieved a bluesign® certification
From fiber to finished product, we partner with brands, manufacturers, and chemical suppliers because the world needs safer workplaces and textile products that are less impactful on the environment and people.
Consumers can trust that bluesign® labeled textiles and products from the chemical inputs to the final production have met the strictest standards throughout the supply chain.
The product comes from a vendor that utilizes a circular business model
Circularity means finding ways to put products, components, and materials back into the supply chain rather than ending up in landfills after their first use.
The product comes from a vendor that is meeting the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)
Our mission is the development, implementation, verification, protection and promotion of the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). This standard stipulates requirements throughout the supply chain for both ecological and labor conditions in textile and apparel manufacturing using organically produced raw materials. Organic production is based on a system of farming that maintains and replenishes soil fertility without the use of toxic, persistent pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. In addition, it includes welfare standards for animal husbandry and prohibits genetically modified organisms.
The product comes from a vendor that is meeting the Global Recycled Standard (GRS)
The Global Recycled Standard (GRS) is an international, voluntary, full product standard that sets requirements for third-party certification of Recycled Content, chain of custody, social and environmental practices, and chemical restrictions. The goal of the GRS is to increase use of Recycled materials in products and reduce/eliminate the harm caused by its production.
The product comes from a vendor that is meeting the Organic Content Standard (OCS)
The Organic Content Standard (OCS) is an international, voluntary standard that provides chain of custody verification for materials originating on a farm certified to recognized national organic standards. The standard is used to verify organically grown raw materials from the farm to the final product.
The product comes from a vendor that is meeting the standard for OEKO-TEX® Organic Cotton
Our ORGANIC COTTON certification offers verification from farm to product. Products bearing this label have been manufactured without the use of GMO and tested for pesticides and other harmful substances.
The product comes from a vendor that is meeting the standard for OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100
OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 certified products are tested for harmful substances to protect your health.
STANDARD 100 certified items including every thread, button and accessory are tested against a list of over 1,000 substances that are harmful to your health but also to the environment. We review the limit values for all of them at least once a year.
The product comes from a vendor that is meeting the standard for OEKO-TEX® Made in Green
OEKO-TEX® MADE IN GREEN labelled products can be tracked as our label provides supply chain traceability, ensuring that each step – from production to the final product - is built on rigorous testing standards.
MADE IN GREEN gives you confidence that the labelled product has been tested for harmful substances and was made in certified and audited production facilities.
Vendors in a MADE IN GREEN supply chain are obliged to take actions to protect workers, ensure safe working conditions, and strengthen healthy labor practices.
The product comes from a vendor that utilizes the Facility and/or Brand & Retail tools from the Higg Index
The Higg Index is a suite of tools for the measurement of value chain sustainability—developed by Cascale, formerly Sustainable Apparel Coalition, and hosted exclusively on Worldly.
Facility and Brand & Retail Tools Include:
- The Facility Environment Module and Facility Social Labor Module enable yearly measurement, evaluation, and performance improvement in categories such as water, energy, chemical management, and employee safety.
- The Brand and Retailer Module (BRM) helps brands and retailers in the textile, apparel and footwear industry measure the environmental, social and governance impact of their business operations and identify opportunities for yearly improvements in their sustainability performance.
The product comes from a vendor who utilizes buildings that are Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified by the U.S. Green Building Council
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the world's most widely used green building rating system. LEED certification provides a framework for healthy, highly efficient, and cost-saving green buildings, which offer environmental, social and governance benefits.
LEED-certified buildings are critical to addressing climate change and meeting ESG goals, enhancing resilience, and supporting more equitable communities. LEED is a holistic system that doesn’t simply focus on one building element, such as energy, water or health. Instead, it looks at the big picture, factoring in all critical elements that work together to create the best building possible.
The product comes from a vendor that purchases or has installed renewable energy sources in their operations
Renewable energy comes from unlimited, naturally replenished resources, such as the sun, tides, and wind. Renewable energy can be used for electricity generation, space and water heating and cooling, and transportation.
This product comes from a vendor that utilizes the SMETA audit
SMETA is an audit, which helps you to understand standards of labor, health and safety, environmental performance, and ethics within your own operations or at a vendor site.
The SMETA audit is designed to help protect workers from unsafe conditions, overwork, discrimination, low pay, and forced labor.
Socially Conscious Manufacturing
To qualify for this category a product must meet one of the following.
Achieving certifications/meeting standards implies some aspect of the garment (whether it be the material, facility, and/or the entire finished product) has been certified/meets standards set by the noted party.
The product comes from a vendor that has partnered with Better Work
Better Work – a collaboration between the United Nations’ International Labor Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group – is a comprehensive program bringing together all levels of the garment industry to improve working conditions, respect of workers’ labor rights and boost the competitiveness of apparel and footwear businesses.
The product comes from a vendor that is a participating or accredited company with the Fair Labor Association
The Fair Labor Association® (FLA) has worked for more than 20 years toward a future where responsible business means that fair working conditions are the standard, not the exception.
Our unique model of collaboration builds expertise and drives innovation to improve business policies and practices that benefit workers around the world.
FLA holds companies accountable to their labor rights commitments by evaluating business practices against the highest international standards for global supply chains.
The product comes from a vendor that has achieved a WRAP certification
WRAP, the only independent global organization of its kind, advances safe, lawful, humane, and ethical practices in production facilities, benefiting workers, manufacturers, buyers, and consumers through socially responsible supply chains worldwide.
We work with facilities at the ground level to bolster their compliance standing and support the long-term success of their businesses, while protecting the liberties of workers and safeguarding our environment. A WRAP certification affirms that a production unit consistently abides by all applicable laws and best practices, and our independent, third-party approach promotes accountability, transparency, and objectivity throughout the process.
Cotton from the Better Cotton Initiative
The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), or just Better Cotton for short, is the largest cotton sustainability program in the world. Our mission is to help cotton communities survive and thrive, while protecting and restoring the environment. In just over a decade, we have convinced stakeholders who span the industry to be our partners. Farmers, ginners, spinners, vendors, manufacturers, brand owners, retailers, civil society organizations, donors and governments. They buy into our approach of training farming communities to produce cotton in ways that improve things for everyone, and everything connected with this fluffy white staple.
The product comes from a vendor that has achieved a bluesign® certification
From fiber to finished product, we partner with brands, manufacturers, and chemical suppliers because the world needs safer workplaces and textile products that are less impactful on the environment and people.
Consumers can trust that bluesign® labeled textiles and products from the chemical inputs to the final production have met the strictest standards throughout the supply chain.
The product comes from a vendor that is meeting the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)
Our mission is the development, implementation, verification, protection and promotion of the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). This standard stipulates requirements throughout the supply chain for both ecological and labor conditions in textile and apparel manufacturing using organically produced raw materials. Organic production is based on a system of farming that maintains and replenishes soil fertility without the use of toxic, persistent pesticides or synthetic fertilisers. In addition, it includes welfare standards for animal husbandry and prohibits genetically modified organisms.
The product comes from a vendor that is meeting the Global Recycled Standard (GRS)
The Global Recycled Standard (GRS) is an international, voluntary, full product standard that sets requirements for third-party certification of Recycled Content, chain of custody, social and environmental practices, and chemical restrictions. The goal of the GRS is to increase use of Recycled materials in products and reduce/eliminate the harm caused by its production.
The product comes from a vendor that is meeting the standard for OEKO-TEX® Made in Green
OEKO-TEX® MADE IN GREEN labelled products can be tracked as our label provides supply chain traceability, ensuring that each step – from production to the final product - is built on rigorous testing standards.
MADE IN GREEN gives you confidence that the labelled product has been tested for harmful substances and was made in certified and audited production facilities.
Vendors in a MADE IN GREEN supply chain are obliged to take actions to protect workers, ensure safe working conditions, and strengthen healthy labor practices.
The product comes from a vendor that utilizes the Facility and/or Brand & Retail tools from the HIGG Index
The Higg Index is a suite of tools for the measurement of value chain sustainability—developed by Cascale, formerly Sustainable Apparel Coalition, and hosted exclusively on Worldly.
Facility and Brand & Retail Tools Include:
- The Facility Environment Module and Facility Social Labor Module enable yearly measurement, evaluation, and performance improvement in categories such as water, energy, chemical management, and employee safety.
- The Brand and Retailer Module (BRM) helps brands and retailers in the textile, apparel and footwear industry measure the environmental, social and governance impact of their business operations and identify opportunities for yearly improvements in their sustainability performance.
This product comes from a vendor that utilizes the SMETA audit
SMETA is an audit, which helps you to understand standards of labor, health and safety, environmental performance, and ethics within your own operations or at a vendor site.
The SMETA audit is designed to help protect workers from unsafe conditions, overwork, discrimination, low pay, and forced labor.
Responsible Mindset
To qualify, at least 1% of total revenue for a particular product - or for the vendor as a whole - must be donated to a nonprofit organization. Additionally, vendors that design their own give back programs are eligible. Below is a non-exhaustive list of example organizations:
1% for the Planet
1% for the Planet provides businesses with expertise in environmental giving, credibility consumers trust and the accountability to follow through. Each year, businesses give 1% of their annual sales directly to our vetted environmental partners.
Alzheimer's Association
The Alzheimer's Association leads the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support.
Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund Inc
Founded in October 2003 to help military children and disabled/wounded veterans. Our organization is working daily to assist our U.S. military service connected fallen and/or disabled veterans and their families through hardships they face after losing their loved one or after their loved one is unable to provide financially as they once did prior to their disability. Our programs provide emotional, educational, financial, health & well-being, morale and children’s enrichment assistance.
Boys and Girls Clubs
Boys & Girls Clubs of America provides safe places, caring mentors and life-enhancing programs that prepare kids and teens for great futures.
Big Brothers Big Sisters
Since 1904, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is incredible potential. As the nation’s largest donor- and volunteer-supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers ("Bigs") and children ("Littles"), ages 5 through young adulthood in communities across the country. We develop positive relationships that have a direct and lasting effect on the lives of young people.
Captains for Clean Water
Captains For Clean Water is a grassroots 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that fights to restore and protect our water resources. We work to advance science-based solutions through efforts focused on awareness and education, empowering people like you to speak up for our water quality and hold elected officials accountable. Together, we’ve united the outdoor industry, environmental groups, business community and concerned citizens around these important issues, and are seeing more people than ever get involved in the fight for clean water.
Fisher House
Fisher House Foundation builds comfort homes where military & veteran families can stay free of charge, while a loved one is in the hospital.
Hanes4Education
Hanes4Education is an easy way for printers and PPDs to make a difference in their communities by supporting local schools. Here’s how it works: For every piece of our eligible apparel you purchase from wholesalers for embellishment, a school you select will receive a cash rebate of ten cents. Think about all of the apparel your company orders for embellishment throughout the year – all of your customer’s orders, not just orders for schools!
Hope Harbor
Hope Harbor provides emergency shelter, safety, crisis intervention, and advocacy for adults and children who are victims and survivors of domestic violence.
Meals on Wheels
Meals on Wheels America is the leadership organization supporting the more than 5,000 community-based programs across the country that are dedicated to addressing senior hunger and isolation. Powered by a trusted volunteer workforce, this network delivers a comprehensive solution that begins with a meal and is proven to enable independence and well-being through the additional benefits of tailored nutrition, social connection, safety and much more. By providing funding, programming, education, research and advocacy, Meals on Wheels America empowers its local member programs to strengthen their communities, one senior at a time.
Ronald McDonald House
A Ronald McDonald House program helps reduces stress and financial burden for families when they must travel far from home to access medical care for their child. When the best medical treatment for a child is far from home, families don’t have worry about where to stay. At a Ronald McDonald House, families can be together, enjoy home-cooked meals and receive compassionate hospitality and support from staff and volunteers — all near the child’s hospital.
Soles4Souls
At Soles4Souls, we turn unwanted shoes and clothing into opportunity, by keeping them from going to waste and putting them to good use – providing relief, creating jobs and empowering people to break the cycle of poverty.
Reach Out and Read
At Reach Out and Read, we believe all families should have the tools and information they need to make shared reading a daily routine. We help integrate guidance about reading into pediatric practices, advise families about the importance of building healthy relationships, and share books that serve as a catalyst for healthy childhood development and family bonds.
CALIFORNIA PROPOSITION 65
California Proposition 65, also known as the 'Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986', details a list of approximately 900 chemicals and substances that are known by the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm.
Under California Proposition 65, businesses are required to provide a warning to California consumers when selling a product that contains any of the listed substances at levels that exceed the safe harbor limits established by the State of California.
Effective with products manufactured after August 30, 2018 – increased and more detailed warning requirements associated with California Proposition 65 take effect.
While S&S Activewear, LLC is neither the manufacturer nor the direct importer of any of the products that we distribute, we have worked extensively with our vendors to identify any items in our assortment that require warnings when sold in the State of California. Through this process, we have confirmed that the vast majority of apparel, headwear, and accessories in our assortment does not require a warning under CA Proposition 65. We have identified a limited number of styles – concentrated in bags and safety wear – which do require the warning.
Resources
List of Styles Requiring CA Proposition 65 Warning
Effective August 30, 2018, all items on this list will carry a warning on their specific product pages on our website, in compliance with the new standards for California Proposition 65.
Sample of Product Page with Warning
Styles that require a warning under California Proposition 65 will display it on our website. Click the link below to view an example.
Sample of Warning on Packing List
We will also print a warning on all packing lists that contain any item requiring a California Proposition 65 warning.
Sample of Printable Warning Label
We will also print a warning on all packing lists that contain any item requiring a California Proposition 65 warning.
More Information
The State of California maintains a website specifically to address Proposition 65 and its associated warning requirements. A link is below for your further reference.
CPSIA Product Safety
The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) became law on August 14, 2008, and is applicable to consumer products (including textile wearables and non-wearables) manufactured on and after November 12, 2008. The CPSIA requires all importers and domestic manufacturers of apparel and other applicable non-wearable consumer products to issue a Certificate of Conformity (COC) for every lot manufactured on or after November 12, 2008.
Use the link below to access our partners’ CPISA compliance statement:
ANSI/ISEA Safety Standards
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private, nonprofit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems and personnel in the United States. ANSI also coordinates U.S. standards with international standards so that American products can be used worldwide.
Use the links below to access our partners’ ANSI/ISEA information documents.
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
Did you know “Country of Origin” is the country where a manufacturer is located and produces its apparel and accessories.
Use the link below to review our partner brands’ countries of origin.
*Please note: Country of Origin information is subject to change at any time.
How to Qualify
If you're a nonprofit organization, school, or religious organization with a 501(c)(3) designation, you can apply for a grant. Applicants must be prepared to submit a copy of their designation letter. Past recipients are eligible to receive another grant after one calendar year.
How to Apply
Application periods run from the 1st - 15th of every month. Entries submitted during that period will be considered for a grant. Each applicant will receive an email stating the determination status of their entry within a week of the application period closing.
What You Need to Know
What Is Give Back Box?
Give Back Box operates as the logistical muscle behind many large retailer donation programs by connecting businesses with charities across the US and abroad. They provide consumers with an easy way to donate old clothing and household items (or in our case extra samples or damaged inventory), therefore extending the life of donations and alleviating landfill overflow.
Give Back Box works with charities that support causes like domestic violence, mental health, and economic growth.
What Can I Donate?
You can donate things like sample overflow, old or damaged inventory, displays, and everything in between. In addition, if you have old clothes to get rid of at home those donations are always welcome.
When Can I Donate?
This program is a year-round effort, and it's completely free to you. There is no limit on how many labels you can download. This means you can send in as many boxes as you need to, as often as you need to.
How Do I Send My Donation?
For US based donators, please visit this site to download your pre-paid shipping label.
Once you’ve packed your recycled box to the brim, attach your label and drop off your box at a UPS location.
Want to Get Your Customer Involved?
Download a generic version of the Give Back Box flyer or share the link below with your customer to create their own Give Back labels.
Pack It Up
Print Label
Ship It Out
Other Questions You Might Ask?
What is the weight limit and box size requirement for my donation?
The maximum weight is 70 pounds. The combined length and girth of a piece (the length of its longest side plus the distance around its thickest part) may not exceed 108 inches.
What donations are not accepted?
Please do not send large electronics, any liquids, fragile, hazardous, or volatile items, or ammunition in boxes.
Can I choose the charity that gets my donation?
Yes! You have the option to select which charity receives your donation, however additional fees may apply. Visit this site for more information https://givebackbox.shop.
But what about carbon emissions?
Give Back Box operates using reverse logistic solutions, meaning your donation will only get to the charity if there is already a truck going that way. This prevents extra driving, which means less carbon emissions, and promotes cleaner air.