Giving a “Second Life” to Unwanted Clothing

With millions of pounds of clothing ending up in U.S. landfills each year and COVID-19 hygiene concerns challenging donations, LG Electronics USA is helping take action with “Second Life” – a campaign to raise awareness of clothing waste and inspire consumers to take responsible action through fabric care, donations and upcycling.

A leader in laundry innovation, LG kicked off its efforts with a seven-city road tour running from April 25 – May 9 to collect used clothing and recycle 100 percent of items received. Plus, the brand is also encouraging clothing reuse by inviting attendees to exchange unwanted items in a clothing swap stocked with rare vintage finds from thrift chain Round Two.

While LG’s top-rated laundry appliances help millions of Americans take the very best care of their fabrics, styles change, tastes change, even sizes change – and most unwanted textiles end up in landfills. In fact, the average American generates 81 pounds (37 kg) of textile waste each year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

“As a leader when it comes to fabric care, LG is invested in how to care for your clothes throughout their lifecycle – from how you wash them to how you ultimately dispose of them,” said Peggy Ang, head of marketing at LG Electronics USA. “With Second Life, we’re aiming to help raise awareness and inspire consumers to care for what they wear by taking responsible action throughout the entire lifecycle of their clothes.”

To bring the tour one step closer to circularity, and to illustrate how to care for what you wear, LG is also raising awareness around upcycling and partnering with designer Nicole McLaughlin to upcycle leftover items from the clothing drive into a limited-edition capsule collection to be unveiled later this fall.

The LG Second Life Road Tour

As part of the Tour, LG is committing to collecting up to 10,000 pounds of clothing to be donated to local organizations to help support families in need of clean clothes. The company is creating a wash center fully equipped with ultra-capacity LG washers and dryers and LG Styler steam closets in Los Angeles to clean, sanitize and sort clothing donations before donating them to local beneficiaries. All unusable items will be upcycled so that 100 percent of collected items are given a “second life.”

LG Second Life is just getting started and has exciting activities planned to help raise awareness around clothing care and clothing waste, as well as tips and resources designed to inspire people to upcycle and recycle their once loved items. Learn more at www.LGSecondLife.com.

Do Good, Feel Good, Life’s Good

The Second Life campaign, along with LG’s commitment to carbon neutrality in all of its operations by 2030, are only some of the steps LG is taking toward its ESG (environmental, social and corporate governance) philosophy to make the world a better place. With ENERGY STAR® certified appliances and its expanding eco-friendly businesses such as electric vehicle (EV) components and solutions and renewable energy, LG is committed to doing its part.