Bringing Convenient Textile Recycling to Your Front Door

As seen on Shark Tank season 14, Retold Recycling is bringing awareness of clothing and textile recycling to TV screens nationwide in response to the 12 million tons of textile waste America throws away yearly to landfills.

Cofounders Alan Yeoh and Amelia Trumble stepped into the tank and took on the investors landing the company a deal at the end of their pitch with Mark Cuban. He invested $300,000 for 25% equity in the company.

Trumble and Yeoh joined together and founded the company in 2020 due to their like-mindedness and desire to make a difference. Found on Green Matters, “Retold Recycling describes itself as a ‘convenient and sustainable mail-in service for recycling any and all unwanted clothing and household textiles, responsibly diverting waste from landfill.’”

Similarly to the sharks, you may ask yourself what makes this textile recycling company different from the others already in the market.

Highlighted on WWD, “for $14.50, or $0.49 less than what ThredUp charges, a customer can request a biodegradable bag capable of holding 5 pounds be delivered to their home, fill it with used clothing and home textiles such as towels and bed sheets, leave it for the mail carrier to ship it back to the nearest of three regional hubs in the continental U.S., and Retold Recycling facilitates the rest.”

Customers who love to shop or families with regular textile and clothing waste can purchase one solo bag or invest in an annual or quarterly subscription. If you are moving or doing a yearly purge, they also offer The Threesome and Closet Clean-Out 10 Pack.

As an avid spring cleaner, who needs the extra motivation to start, this vibrant yellow and green bag made from biodegradable and compostable cornstarch is the motivation I need to see in my mailbox to kickstart my seasonal decluttering.

It doesn’t get much simpler than that. However, Business Insider said that guest shark Emma Grede, the cofounder of Good American and founding partner of Skims, had a few concerns about the price point of the bag with the increasing inflation.

But, Trumble said that the convenience is worth the money because their users are not having to drive somewhere to drop off clothing and textile donations when in some cases, those places won’t even accept the clothing or intimates being dropped off. Instead, Retold Recycling users have the luxury of being able to donate all their clothing and are confident that Retold Recycling will not give it to a landfill.

Even though, as consumers, we swear we are going to donate our clothing; it often ends up driving around with us in our cars for months before we can find the time to drop it off at a local Goodwill. Whereas with Retold Recycling, you won’t even have to leave your house or apartment to have Retold Recycling begin telling a new story with your unwanted clothing.

The sharks also saw potential in Retold Recycling’s business-to-business partnerships. Grede said, “all brands are looking for something that they can offer their consumers to appear to be more sustainable.” Retold Recycling could be the answer to some companies’ textile waste challenges.

Retold Recycling’s investment deal on Shark Tank has offered the company a more robust platform to grow its business and have the desired volume. With the resale clothing industry’s continuous growth, sustainability needs accessibility for all consumers to participate in recycling resources and reducing waste.

The old way won’t open new doors, and cofounders Yeoh and Trumble are asking you to add one more “R” to fashion, Retold, and help them to tell a new story with your old textiles and clothing.

-As always, elevate your wardrobe with respected fashion and embrace the shift in style