Ben Grossman, Co-President of Grossman Marketing and founding director of the firm’s Green Marketing and Sustainability Practice, said SwagCycle will allow companies to repurpose their unwanted branded items in a responsible, ethical and affordable way. “When companies rebrand, get acquired, or complete a marketing campaign, unfortunately obsolete branded merchandise may end up in landfills. That’s bad for the environment and it’s bad for a company’s corporate image,” said Grossman. “By leveraging our proprietary network of recycling firms and charitable partners, we can turn potentially harmful decisions into helpful alternatives.” The US Environmental Protection Agency reported that in 2015 a mere 15% of textile waste was recycled while 65% ended up in landfills. And according to the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART), clothing and other textiles account for 6.3% of the waste stream in the U.S., or a shocking 81 pounds per person per year. Grossman said SwagCycle offers a simple and efficient 3-step process to address the sustainability challenges that corporations face: (1) Assess the inventory of unwanted items; (2) Confirm brand guidelines to determine if excess items can live on with charitable partners or should be recycled; and (3) Match items with an appropriate charity or one of Grossman’s best-in-class recycling partners. Some of Grossman’s clients include the Boston Bruins , Boston Celtics; Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, athenahealth and Novocure; Columbia University, Harvard University and Tufts University; Hewlett-Packard, John Hancock, L.L. Bean and Zipcar; The International Academy of Arts and Sciences (Emmy Awards); and environmental groups including Climate Reality Project, Union of Concerned Scientists and League of Conservation Voters.