NEMO Equipment is greasing the wheels of the circular economy through a new partnership with Out&Back Outdoors. The two brands have come together to offer people a unique opportunity to trade in used gear for something shiny and brand-new — or, just cash.
The program couldn’t have come at a better time. Following the holidays, when outdoor enthusiasts often receive fresh new gear, their garages and closets stack up with retired backpacks, tents, climbing gear, and more.
Some folks list their used gear for sale, and others give it away. And then, some just quietly hoard it until they’ve stacked their homes floor-to-ceiling with a museum collection that never sees the light of day again (hypothetically speaking … we’ve been told).
Now, thanks to this partnership, there is a seemingly easy alternative: Send that stuff to Out&Back, and NEMO will compensate you for your participation in the recycling system. And you get to choose how.
“Our customers will now be able to turn in more gear from their closets for cash or a NEMO gift card,” Theresa McKenney, NEMO’s director of sustainability, said in a press release. “And Out&Back keeps good products out of the landfill, providing high-quality used gear at accessible prices.”
(That gift card could come in handy to buy one of our favorite sleeping pads.)
Sell Used Gear: How It Works
Exchanging your gently used gear is simple. Go to NEMO’s website for the program and click the button that says “Get An Offer.” That takes you to another webpage where you’ll answer a few questions, describe the gear you’re trading in, get an offer for it, and choose to get a NEMO gift card, or a Venmo or PayPal payment.
Out&Back provides a prepaid shipping label — and you go home a winner.
And no, the gently used gear doesn’t have to be NEMO branded. Through this program, NEMO and Out&Back will take gear from any brand as long as it’s usable and in generally good condition.
Out&Back Outdoors, founded in Denver in 2019, sells new and used gear from the biggest brands in the market online. The brand will not only appraise people’s used gear but will also turn around and sell it as well.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Get Paid
According to the EPA’s textile waste facts, in the U.S. alone, more than 17 million tons of used textiles end up in landfills every year. The EPA estimates that 64% of all garments produced globally end up as waste within 12 months. And that’s just apparel. Those numbers don’t factor in hard goods and gear.
Outdoor brands, whose entire business model relies on the conservation of the outdoors, and people’s passion for spending time in them, are subsequently adapting. Recycled, recyclable, and sustainably designed products are in, while plastic packaging and PFAS are out.
And brands like prAna (Renewed Apparel), Patagonia (Worn Wear), and NEMO have found new and creative ways to out-green one another.
NEMO’s recycling compensation partnership with Out&Back is the latest product of that movement.
“We’re excited to be partnering with a brand so deeply invested in sustainability and innovation,” Barruch Ben-Zekry, founder & CEO of Out&Back, said in a press release. “NEMO designs durable, top-quality gear, making them the perfect partner to help scale and democratize circular solutions to the outdoor industry.”
So, if you’re looking to replace some old gear with new NEMO stuff, or wouldn’t mind getting a paycheck for cleaning out your gear closet, here’s your opportunity.
