Toolbox / RUBY Says Recycle
RUBY Says Recycle
We believe clothing is valuable, and valuable in so many ways. This belief has led us to champion many pilots + initiatives over the years;
We piloted a test of our RUBY Matchmaker service from June 2020 - August 2022 which was extremely successful. Matchmaker is an online portal for our customers to tell us what previous season pieces they are looking for or looking to sell. This allowed us on the backend to match up the seller and buyer to exchange the item, encouraging our customers to re-sell their pre-loved garments, to keep them out of landfill.
Recognising nothing is ever perfect in this world, RUBY Upside Down celebrates the pieces that we’ve put a lot of love & care into, but somewhere in our production process a flaw or fault has occurred. We know these pieces are perfectly imperfect & can find a home with one of our Rubettes at a reduced price, with its quirk listed online. Prior to Upside Down’s launch in 2021, we would have often donated these pieces or kept them stored for a final season sale, so we love that Upside Down extends the value of these perfectly imperfect treasures.
Launched in 2021, @rubysaysrecycle is the home of samples and seconds that we make available for our Rubettes to purchase. For each style we put into store, anywhere between 2 to 5 samples may be made to ensure we get the fit and vibe just right, alongside this, there’s many samples made that for whatever reason, don't make it into store. It didn’t seem right for these pieces to not find a home so we list them on Instagram at the end of each season. We’re excited to see just how much you all (our beloved Rubettes!) love @rubysaysrecycle and look forward to building on this platform more in the coming years as we know re-selling a product can reduce the associated greenhouse gas emissions for that sale by anywhere from 43 to 82 percent.
AND, most recently, TAKE BACK with RUBY Says Recycle.
In 2023 we were posed with the annual question of “What is RUBY doing for Black Friday?” For us as a business, it has never felt right for us to engage with it.
“We know that Black Friday does not come from Aotearoa AND it drives the type of consumption that is seriously harmful to our planet and people. But at the same time, we know that Black Friday can be a good opportunity for Rubettes on a tighter budget, or those who just love a sweet deal, to buy pieces that they may not have otherwise been able to.”
AND SO, came TAKE B_ACK FRIDAY with RUBY Says Recycle, a pilot scheme where Rubettes could bring back RUBY and Liam clothing they no longer wore into any RUBY store. The clothing was assessed based on its resale value, and RUBY vouchers were issued to the value of 40% of the resale price straight away (regardless of whether we sold it or not it). See our updated pricing structure for Take Back here.
The pieces that we take-back from our Rubettes then become part of our ever-growing RUBY Says Recycle collection.
This pilot was seriously successful.
THE NUMBERS
Total pieces dropped off: 2,640
Pieces dropped off by location:
Number of customers participated: 704
Biggest voucher issued to one customer ;-): $2,391
Total vouchers issued: $70,434
OUR LEARNINGS
So, in March 2024, we introduced TAKE BACK with RUBY Says Recycle, now an always-on scheme where Rubettes can bring back RUBY + Liam clothing they no longer wear into any RUBY store!
We believe that a thriving future for our industry exists in a truly circular system.
We envisage RUBY to be a place that celebrates both new and second hand clothing. We want 25% of our sales to come from RUBY Says Recycle by 2030 and since the launch of RUBY Says Recycle in 2021, we are well on our way.
If you have something you want to sell, contribute your pre-loved RUBY + Liam pieces now, in any RUBY store.
If you’re looking for a special lil RUBY or liam piece, pop-in to any of our RUBY stores and explore our range of RUBY Says Recycle pieces.
Product
The work and care we put into our product so that each piece is loved for a long time and by many.
Community
We believe in strengthening & educating our local community whether that be those in our team, Rubettes that frequent our stores or those we haven’t met yet.
Carbon Curious
Insights into our carbon footprint and the plan to reduce our emissions.
Product
Community
Carbon Curious
Education
Product
Community
Carbon Curious
Education
free shipping within new zealand
