We’ve all heard about pollution and its damaging effects on our environment, but what about the solutions? Rampage reached out to local businesses to learn more about how they reduce, reuse, and recycle.

American Eagle Outfitters, a clothing company with an annual revenue of 5 billion dollars, was founded in 1977 in Michigan by Jerry Silverman. Now in Gurnee Mills, this trendy store is one of 1,175 stores worldwide. Silverman’s goal was to make an all-inclusive brand and till this day represents his goal through an integrative approach to their waste management. Full-time selling lead at the Gurnee location, Danna Diaz, walked Rampage through their process – “there’s no product [they] ever throw away,” she said.

Diaz said that American Eagle donates “any unsold products… to [their] clearance center [in Johnson Creek Premium Outlets, Wisconsin]. They sell everything for cheaper,” similar to the nonprofit store Goodwill. 

American Eagle has a solution for jeans that don’t fit anymore or that are no longer “your style.”

When entering one of their stores, ask if you can donate your 90% cotton jeans to the Blue Jeans Go Green recycling program and you can get 10 dollars off a new pair. 

From there, they ship the jeans off to Pennsylvania to be refurbished into tote bags and cotton fiber for house insulation. 

Sharon Edelson, contributor for Forbes News said that American Eagle “saved 5 billion gallons of water through sourcing with Better Cotton,” from 2017 – 2022 which reduces pollution, saves energy, and protects delicate ecosystems.