Universal Standard is asking its customers to do more with less on Cyber Monday. For one day only, the size-inclusive women’s brand is bringing back its “Universal Standard Denim Drive” to support Cotton Incorporated’s Blue Jeans Go Green denim recycling program.
On Dec. 2, Universal Standard is marking down its entire jeans collection, regularly priced at $80-$90, to just $25. The caveat? In exchange for the discount, the brand is asking customers to recycle any two old pairs of jeans.
To make sure the old denim gets into the hands of Cotton Incorporated’s Blue Jeans Go Green, Universal Standard is partnering with UPS. All orders will be shipped with a pre-paid UPS shipping label and packaging for customers to send in their old denim.
This is the third time Universal Standard has used Cyber Monday to raise awareness about denim recycling. Last year, the brand held a similar drive, asking customers to send in two pairs of unwanted jeans in exchange for a new pair at no cost.
Universal Standard’s drive is the latest in a string of initiatives by millennial-centric denim retailers and brands that support Blue Jeans Go Green. The program uses old denim to create natural cotton fiber insulation for building efforts around the country. Brands like Levi’s, Madewell and Rag & Bone are active contributors to the program, allowing customers to donate jeans in exchange for discounts on new pairs.
This summer, Zappos made a similar arrangement as Universal Standard, by making prepaid shipping labels available to customers with a Zappos account. Now, no matter where they are located, all a prospective recycler has to do to discard their old jeans is pack it up into any size shipping box, print off a label and drop it off at a local UPS location.