Dive Brief:

• Direct-to-consumer underwear brand Parade expanded its sustainability efforts Tuesday by launching the first free recycling program for its category in the U.S., according to a press release emailed to Retail Dive.
• Through the new initiative, called Second Life by Parade, consumers can return as many pairs of gently used underwear as they want from any brand in exchange for a 20% Parade credit. To do so, they can request a Second Life by Parade package through the brand's website and receive a complimentary biodegradable bag and prepaid shipping label.
• Second Life by Parade aims to limit individuals' carbon footprint. Parade partnered with waste management firm TerraCycle for the initiative.

  Dive Insight:

  Parade joins several retailers in launching its own recycling program as pressure from both consumers and investors mount. Ulta, for instance, teamed up with Loop (a division of TerraCycle) last year on refillable packaging. Meanwhile, shaving brand Schick unveiled its first fully recyclable razor in March. Last year, Nike also launched its refurbishment program, which accepts returns for gently worn, like-new or imperfect shoes to be refurbished and resold at 15 stores. In Parade's program, all returned items will be recycled into new products such as insulation, furniture and bedding. "This launch provides consumers with the opportunity to responsibly recycle their used intimate apparel and ensure that it is diverted from the landfill," TerraCycle CEO and founder, Tom Szaky, said in a statement. "Together with Parade we are providing an end-to-end recycling program that will make it easier for consumers to mitigate their carbon footprint and have a positive impact on the environment for future generations." Parade is on its way to being carbon positive by 2025, per the release. The company also said it is the first intimates brand that has committed to climate action organization Science Based Targets Initiative to reduce its emissions. Parade's products are currently made from recycled fabrics and shipped using packaging that is recycled and recyclable. "We already create products out of sustainable materials, but we know that's only part of the challenge," Kerry Steib, head of impact and communications at Parade, said in a statement. "Second Life by Parade will help address the category's end-of-life problem by repurposing fabrics without using virgin materials."
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Ulta Beauty is aiming for increased transparency with its latest initiative, Conscious Beauty at Ulta Beauty. The program aims for “holistic” transparency, according to Ulta president Dave Kimbell, and is meant to help guide shoppers toward the things that are important to them. While several retailers, including Ulta competitor Sephora and new partner Credo, have created ingredient no-no lists, Ulta is the first major beauty retailer to break down product lines beyond ingredients, sorting for things like positive impact or packaging. The five “pillars” Ulta will use to guide shoppers are: Clean Ingredients, Cruelty Free, Vegan, Sustainable Packaging and Positive Impact. “Conscious Beauty is designed to take a look at whatever our guests find important to help them navigate on their individual journeys,” Kimbell said in an interview. “Conscious Beauty at Ulta Beauty really is a holistic initiative that we think will educate and simplify the landscape and help [guide] our guests through the products that are available to them. We will provide greater choices, greater transparency by certifying brands across all five of these pillars, which we know are important to our guests, and are part of their overall decision making. By taking a more comprehensive approach we feel like we’re elevating the engagement our guests can have and more broadly meeting their needs.”   The idea for the program was in place pre-pandemic, Kimbell said. “This launch is the next big step on our journey around clean and conscious beauty,” he said. “We’ve been working on this for quite a while. Having said that, the trends that were in the market before around clean and conscious, and transparency and sustainability, were important before the pandemic and if anything, they’re more important now and in the future.” As part of the sustainability initiative, Ulta has committed that by 2025, 50 percent of all packaging sold will be made from recycled or bio-sourced materials, or will be recyclable or refillable. Ulta is also the first major beauty retailer to partner with TerraCycle’s Loop program, which will allow shoppers access to Loop’s refillable product options. “It’ll be online only at first, but then we’ll look to continue to expand and partner together with the Loop team to find more ways to drive change in the industry,” Kimbell said. As part of its move toward clean, Ulta has crafted a Made Without List — parabens and pthalates are both on it — with the help of outside experts. The eight brands launching from Credo will be included under the Clean Ingredients pillar of the Conscious Beauty program. A spokeswoman for the retailer declined to share the full Made Without List, and said “more details will be made available in the fall.” Ulta’s cruelty pillar will incorporate certification from third-party organizations including Peta, Leaping Bunny and Choose Cruelty-Free; The vegan designation will be for brands that are free from animal products, by-products and derivatives; The positive impact label will go to brands that have “giving back at their core,” according to a company statement. Customers will be able to identify brands in different pillars online as well as in-store, Kimbell said, noting that in-store merchandising would likely consist of rotating products and highlighting different categories. Ulta has also established an advisory board for the program that includes Annie Jackson, cofounder of Credo, and Tom Szaky, chief executive officer and cofounder of Loop, to drive the Conscious Beauty initiatives forward. Ulta plans to reach out to brand partners this week to explain the process of becoming certified under the pillars, but Kimbell described it as relatively simple, and said it would be done through ClearForMe, an outside business that claims to have the most comprehensive ingredient database on the market. “It is designed in a way to be simple, easy and not prohibit any of our brand partners from participating,” Kimbell said. He declined to say if brands had to pay to participate. Asked if a “pillar” would be established for Black-owned beauty brands, or if Ulta was going to sign the 15 Percent Pledge, which would commit it to stocking 15 percent of shelves with Black-owned brands, Kimbell said that Black-owned brands are “absolutely a focus for us.” “We’re certainly well aware of [the 15 Percent Pledge], we applaud it. We are focusing on expanding our assortment and we’re monitoring that and think[ing] it through. But regardless of a specific pledge, we’ve added many Black-owned brands,” Kimbell said, ticking off Juvia’s Place and Pattern by Tracee Ellis Ross as examples. “We’re looking to expand that portfolio.”