Textile waste continues to be a global concern, and more apparel companies are stepping in to do their part for the planet. Just last month, Patagonia shared details of its extended Worn Wear program and Brisco Brands announced a new line of recycled Ts. Another company making an impact in apparel recycling is sustainable clothing brand Marine Layer, which offers $5 in store credit for an old T-shirt regardless of its condition or brand.

Since 2018, the Re-Spun program has kept over 475,000 T-shirts from ending up in landfills and saved 2.6 billion gallons of water by using respun cotton. It’s also paid $2 million in store credit to consumers.

What’s Eligible for Marine Layer’s Re-Spun Program?

According to the FAQs on its website, Marine Layer will take any T-shirt but prefers cotton. It notes that activewear fabrics with spandex are harder to break down, but they’ll still gladly take them. For shirts that can’t be respun into yarn, they’re used for housing insulation, fishing nets, and anything else Marine Layer can find a use for.

Participants can receive a maximum of $25 in store credit per donation. “This resets in January, April, July, and October, so you can do it up to 4x a year,” the site notes.

How Re-Spun Works

Marine Layer’s Re-Spun program receives the old T-shirts, then sorts them by color. After that, any graphics get removed. Then, each shirt is cut into rags and shredded into pulp. Finally, it’s respun into yarn for making new items.

While not all Re-Spun products are made from customers’ old T-shirts, Marine Layer sources other recycled materials for products that require something more technical. “Anything with the Re-Spun stamp means it’s made with 30% or more recycled materials,” says the site.

Those interested in donating can request a kit on Marine Layer’s Re-Spun webpage or find a store and donate in person.

For a deep dive into why initiatives like this matter, check out Real-Life Implications of Sustainability in the Decorated Apparel Community.