When you shop for a living like I do, you often find yourself inundated with more products, samples, and specialty clothing styles than your closet can hold. Mix that with my insatiable desire to keep up with all the aspirational TikTok aesthetics, and you’re left with a wardrobe so cluttered with excess fashion that you often lose track of what you even own. FYI: my latest deep closet dive revealed that I basically own three of them exact the same black turtleneck sweaters—so it was quite a reality.
After months of feeling overwhelmed by my closet and kicking off the new year (rather ironically) by reading Marie Kondo’s famous guide to tidying up your life, aptly titled “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidy Up,” I decided it was finally time. to press the reset button on my clothes. Going forward, I would focus on keeping only the bare essentials, saying goodbye to any pieces I outgrow, and only investing in well-made styles to build a more sustainable, long-term investment wardrobe. Not sure where to start (and frankly, so tired of my usual process of just unloading bags at my local thrift store), I turned to Gen Z’s favorite zero-waste fashion brand, For Days, to help me approach the process more consciously.
The For Days Take Back Bag ($20) is probably the brand’s best seller. It allows users to clean out their wardrobe and even get rewarded for sending back used clothes and textiles. In honor of the new year, I put the recycling bag to the test to see if it really is as easy to use as the fashion brand makes it out to be. Now, after a complete overhaul of my wardrobe, I’m convinced that For Days may indeed have invented the single best way to reduce individual fashion waste – maybe ever? Keep reading to see my honest review of the ring program with photos!
What I like about the For Days Take Back Bag
I appreciate that For Days is really working to simplify the clothing recycling process through a more thoughtfully designed closed-loop model. Instead of dumping clothes at Goodwill or any other thrift store without knowing what will happen to the pieces (often dealing with whether they will even be resold), For Days provides a more transparent system that is very easy to navigate. and I feel good knowing that my old styles are contributing to a greater, more conscious purpose. The brand has built a network of recycling partners, all of whom are committed to keeping discarded clothing out of landfills. Through the brand’s Take Back Bag program, For Days specifically states that 50 percent of all returned items are “recycled to substandard, rags and insulation,” and 45 percent of all Take Back Bag items are resold through closed sales partners. . While the remaining five percent is often thrown away due to condition or composition, the circular label’s website states that more than 80,000 bags have already been sold, resulting in nearly 2.4 million garments being diverted from landfills (I love it!). Additionally, all styles from For Days are non-toxic, organic and designed to be recycled into new fabrics.
Once I received my Take Back Bag, I simply filled the product with a few pieces I had outgrown like a sweater vest, a fitted turtleneck and worn leggings; scanned the QR code on the bag for shipping instructions; print a USPS mailing label; and I dropped it off at the local post office. The whole process was really so easy and I immediately started ordering my next bag to be ready for any spring cleaning antics come March.
I also like that For Days rewards you for submitting clothes. For each bag returned, customers will receive $20 in Closet Cash Credit, which not only never expires, but can also be used immediately toward future purchases of styles from For Days. The brand is filled with plenty of comfortable, well-made, and totally practical basics like matching sweatpants — including this For Days Waffle Cropped Sweatshirt ($68) and the For Days Waffle Jogger ($92) that I love. Plus, there are a number of styles that can easily be dressed up for lounging around the house or dressed up for a comfortable daytime outfit—this relaxing For Days long-sleeve jumpsuit ($78) is a particular favorite of mine. In addition to giving more incentive to recycle your old clothes through For Days, this sustainable model also directly helps shoppers start building a greener wardrobe with conscious pieces that support a closed-loop system.
Which is worth noting
While the Take Back bag can hold up to 15 pounds (a pretty decent amount in my opinion), if you’re looking to do a complete wardrobe overhaul or specifically hoping to rid your wardrobe of some bulkier fashion pieces like chunky sweaters, winter coats, or any oversize purses, I recommend ordering more than one bag so you have enough storage space to pull out these styles. I found my own bag filled much quicker than I expected, and since I had already sorted through my wardrobe and picked out everything I wanted to say goodbye to, I wished I had more than one Take Back Bag on hand. at the moment so I can finish cleaning out my closet in one day.
It’s also worth noting that the Take Back Bag itself costs $20, so you’re basically spending $20 upfront to get that money back and put it toward future purchases.
Who is the For Days Take Back Bag best for?
This product is such a great buy for anyone who feels inspired to clean out their wardrobe or get rid of clothes they’ve outgrown, but wants to do it in a more circular and sustainable way. Fashion waste is one of the most pressing environmental issues in our world today, and one of the easiest ways to minimize excess waste in our lives is simply to find more conscious ways to recycle it. The Take Back Bag makes recycling easy, so you don’t have to take the time to hand-deliver it to a nonprofit or thrift store—which is especially appealing for anyone (like me) with a busy schedule and often struggling to find time for anything outside of their weekly routine. Even better, with the Closet Cash Credit incentive, you’ll also feel more inspired to fill your wardrobe with more conscious pieces that are designed to last—and you won’t have to invest in any one-off styles in the process.
Where is the For Days Take Back Bag available?
The Take Back Bag is available for purchase exclusively at For Days.
further details
- The large Take Back Bag measures 24 inches by 24 inches and is designed to hold up to 15 pounds of clothing.
- Unlike other circular brands, For Days accepts textiles from all brands – regardless of condition – including items such as socks, sheets, pillowcases, underwear, underwear, towels, shoes and even handbags.
- According to For Days, each Take Back Bag helps save an estimated 15 pounds of clothing from landfills and 16,000 gallons of water, and even reduces up to 118 pounds of carbon emissions.
- For every Take Back bag filled with clothing and textiles returned, customers will instantly earn $20 in Closet Cash Credit, which can then be applied to any future For Days purchases.
Rating:
Image credit: POPSUGAR Photography / Kyley Warren