Tee For Tee: Rueneau Launches Buy-Back Program

In celebration of Earth Day, Rueneau Clothing Toronto is launching a Buy Back Program to combat textile waste by encouraging customers to return their old, worn-out tees in exchange for cash or credit toward a new tee purchase. The program starts on April 22, and we chatted with owner Diana Kraus to learn more. —Vita Daily

Can you tell us more about Rueneau’s  Buy Back Program and what inspired you to launch this initiative in celebration of Earth Day?

Earth Day felt like the perfect time to launch the Rueneau Buy-Back Program. Earth Day is a reminder of the importance of environmental conservation and sustainability. With the Rueneau Buy-Back Program, in our small way, we are trying to make a difference. We are standing behind the quality of our product, adding to the life-cycle of our product, and offering excellent value to our customers. Research suggests that extending the active life of clothing by just nine months can significantly reduce its environmental impact. 

How does the Buy Back Program work, and what are the benefits for customers who participate in the program?

The Rueneau Buy-Back program is centered around our Classic T-shirts. We believe in the quality of our Tees, but know that after a time, our favourite white tees can look a little tired. We are inviting our customers to sell their old Rueneau tees back to us for $10 in cash or $10 off a new Rueneau t-shirt. Tees can be sold back to us at any of our in-person shopping events. The only requirements are that the tees must not have any holes or oil stains. We will give old tees new life with hand-dying and embellishments and resell at a discount price.

Textile waste is a significant environmental issue globally. How does Rueneau’s Buy Back Program contribute to addressing this issue, and what impact do you hope to make through this initiative?

By purchasing old Rueneau Tees we are diverting textile waste from landfill, adding more time and use to the lifecycle of our garments as well as offering more value to customers. My hope is that through this small initiative, my customers will know we that we are committed to being part of the solution; that as a clothing manufacturer, we know we have a responsibility to be thoughtful and strategic about how we use our shared resources. We are hopeful that as we grow, more and more customers will take advantage of our program and help us to add countless wears to every Rueneau T-shirt.

What sets Rueneau apart from other retailers in terms of its commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility?

Rueneau is a small Canadian-based start-up line of essentials for women. We endeavour to design and manufacture high-quality, stylish, everyday-pieces that can be worn over and over again. We choose natural and renewable fabrics and we manufacture in Ontario. We are connected to our community; to people who help to produce the line and the people who purchase our line. With the Rueneau Buy-Back Program we are helping our customer to gain value out of the dollars they spend with us, and by reselling their old Rueneau, we helping them to lower their emissions footprint.

The Buy Back Program offers customers the option to receive either cash or credit for returning their old tees. Can you share more about how these options were chosen and how they benefit both the customers and the company?

When we first conceived of the Rueneau Buy-Back Program we thought it was a great way to help our customers manage the clothing they purchase from us, and we wanted to make it worth their while. Because we believe in the quality and longevity of our product, and because we feel that each old tee still has lots of value, we felt $10.00 was a motivating amount to offer. We think it’s win, win, win!

As a business owner, how do you see initiatives like the Buy Back Program aligning with Shop Rueneau’s overall values and goals?

As a business owner, our goal is to grow the Rueneau brand, but to do in a way that is true to our vison and values. We value, value! We design and produce clothing that offers excellent fit, dynamic style and wearability! We make pieces that offer countless wears, are the pieces we turn to the most and now those pieces are eligible for a partial-refund. We are offering excellent value for stylish, Canadian-made clothing!

Looking ahead, what are your hopes and aspirations for the Buy Back Program, and do you have any plans to expand or introduce similar initiatives in the future?

The Rueneau Buy-Back Program is completely new for us and we can’t wait for Earth Day to launch it! We hope that we have created a meaningful value proposition for our customers and we hope they take advantage. In the future, we would like to take back more Rueneau clothing as we partner with recyclers, who are using innovative technologies to break down old fabric to make new fabric.