The NBA has teamed up with the recycling and rewards platform Trashie to make it easier than ever for fans to feel good about saying goodbye to their unwanted clothing — while getting exclusive game-day perks in the process. The slam dunk? Fans don't have to pay a thing to get started.
What's happening?
NBA fans can score one of Trashie's popular Take Back Bags for free for a limited time through the exclusive partnership. After you load up the bag with up to 15 pounds of old clothing, shoes, sports gear, and more — and ship it off with a free UPS label to Trashie to recycle — you'll receive major discounts, plus the chance to win tickets to the 2025 NBA draft this June.
(A sweepstakes for tickets to April's WNBA draft has already wrapped up.)
Other rewards include 20% off items from sports lifestyle brand '47; $20 off Nike, Fanatics, and Sportiqe gear; $10 off select HydraPeak water bottles; 20% off NBA draft and NBA Summer League experience packages; and even instant hotel credits.
Why is the NBA's partnership with Trashie encouraging?
It's no secret that the average U.S. consumer tosses out a lot of clothes — around 82 pounds each year, according to Earth.org. And many of those textiles are made from synthetic, hard-to-break-down materials (like plastic, which is derived from polluting dirty fuels).
This waste can negatively impact every part of society, resulting in overcrowded landfills, toxic chemical contamination, and the undesirable release of methane, a heat-trapping gas with a warming effect in our atmosphere up to 80 times more potent (in the short term) than carbon dioxide.
The NBA's collaboration with Trashie is so encouraging because it empowers fans to be part of the solution.
"Collaborating with Trashie allows us to reward NBA fans for reducing waste," Annie Horn, NBA director of social responsibility and sustainability, told The Cool Down. "Through our pilot program, we're able to encourage fans to practice responsible waste management and incorporate more sustainable habits into their lifestyle."
What is the NBA's overall sustainability plan?
The sports industry can unify communities and be a huge economic driver, creating jobs and bringing in tourism revenue. But it can also generate significant waste and pollution.
The NBA has not hesitated to take on these environmental challenges. For nearly two decades, NBA Green has worked to inspire fans and business partners to work toward a cleaner future.
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Giving me money back 💰 The latest collaboration with Trashie is possible thanks to NBA Launchpad, a research and development program designed to accelerate basketball innovation and business growth by identifying and supporting new technologies and services. In this fourth cohort of the initiative, the NBA expanded its vision with a new target category, "The Future of Impact," and honored Trashie as one of the five companies to be included in this year's cohort.
Additionally, in recent years, the NBA has cut plastic bottle use in its offices by 80%, launched its Nets for Change program to clean up our oceans, reworked its game schedule to reduce pollution from air travel and benefit player health, and pledged to support sustainable sports infrastructure.
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