HanesBrands’ Champion Athleticwear brand has announced a partnership, Champion Renewed, with The Renewal Workshop, a company that renews apparel that would have otherwise gone into landfills. The partnership helps extend the lifespan of the brand’s apparel and reduces waste, while supporting its “Be Your Own Champion” campaign. Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based HanesBrands participates in the promotional products industry as suppliers Hanes/Champion/ComfortWash (PPAI 191138, S10) and Alternative Apparel (PPAI 217134, S5).
“To us, ‘Be Your Own Champion’ means encouraging consumers to do things the right way and do them with heart—both on and off the field,” says Jon Ram, group president of global activewear for HanesBrands. “Extending the life of apparel that would have likely ended up in a landfill is part of that effort, and it gives our consumers yet another reason to be proud to wear our brand.”
The Renewal Workshop uses Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology to measure the impact of the textile fibers most frequently received, such as cotton, polyester and wool. Using this data, in addition to each garment’s weight, the organization can evaluate energy savings, greenhouse gas reductions and water consumption decreases, among other things, for each item that is renewed. The Renewal Workshop then sorts, grades, thoroughly sanitizes the products using state-of-the-art waterless technology and repairs them to like-new standards. Once inspected and verified to joint quality standards, they are given a Renewal Workshop tag and made available for purchase.
“We’re thrilled to have Champion join our growing list of brands, and we’re eager to support the brand in its larger efforts to salvage apparel, giving clothing a chance for a second life,” says Nicole Bassett, co-founder of The Renewal Workshop. “By having a brand as iconic as Champion begin the process with us, we’re encouraged that others within the industry will soon follow suit.”
The partnership between Champion and The Renewal Workshop is part of the brand’s promise to increase the use of responsibly-made fabrics and find ways to creatively reuse products to reduce energy use and water consumption during the manufacturing process. As part of the HanesBrands family, Champion’s efforts support the company’s 2025-2030 global sustainability goals, which include all of its brands having a fully circular product or significant circularity initiative by 2025.
Champion reports having already made progress reaching ongoing sustainability goals, including offering classic jersey tees made with 100-percent U.S. cotton, which is traceable and some of the most responsibly produced fiber in the world; introducing two environmentally-conscious collections, Natural State and Rally Pro Earth, in 2021; and manufacturing “Game Day” sweats using 95-percent recycled polyester fibers, as well as other sport category apparel with a significant percentage of recycled polyester fiber.
