Pottery Barn Renewed Is the Zero-Waste, Secondhand Decor Option We All Need Right Now

Photo: istockphoto.com

Whether you’re moving into a new home or you’ve been in the same place forever, the prospect of adding new life to your space is invigorating. Home decor is a reflection of your personality, but as years go by, your personality tends to evolve. Pieces you once deemed timeless begin to lose their luster, and you pine for an updated look. But it’s neither economically nor ecologically sustainable to always grab for the shiny new toy. That’s why we’re thrilled that some retailers, including Pottery Barn, are starting to offer secondhand products. 

With the launch of the Pottery Barn Renewal program, the upscale retailer has become the first major home furnishings store to embrace the secondhand market. Get excited, because your home revamp is about to become much more affordable—and more socially responsible. 

The Renewal Workshop makes existing linear manufacturing practices circular.

The Renewal Workshop partners with brands committed to sustainability with the goal of recovering value from unsellable inventory. When products cannot be sold, the creative, financial, physical, and natural resources that went into their manufacture are wasted. The Renewal Workshop’s collaborative system helps partners like Pottery Barn minimize this waste, transforming a traditional linear manufacturing process into a circular one. Thanks to this new partnership, consumers can now obtain Pottery Barn merchandise, such as barely used table linens, quilts, pillow covers, towels, and other textile products, at steep discounts.

Photo: renewalworkshop.com

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Here’s how the renewal system works:

The Renewal Workshop has developed a six-stage, zero-waste process to ensure the quality of the products offered for sale. The company’s partners send returned products and products that did not sell over to The Renewal Workshop, where the items are cleaned, repaired, and put through a quality-verification process. The gold seal of approval is a Renewal Workshop price tag and listing on The Renewal Workshop website. 

Pottery Barn is committed to sustainable design and responsible retail.

“The good of our planet and communities has been a long-standing commitment for Pottery Barn, and our customers have come to know us for products that look and feel good,” says Marta Benson, president of Pottery Barn. “By becoming the first major home furnishings retailer to launch a renewed line in partnership with The Renewal Workshop, we continue to build on our industry-leading sustainability commitments to encourage further innovation for the betterment of our world. We are proud to take this next step in our sustainability journey and invite our customers to do the same.”

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Pottery Barn aims to achieve 75 percent landfill diversion across operations by 2021. To reach this goal, the company has made a commitment to recycle and compost in their stores, distribution centers, and corporate offices, while ensuring the manufacture of nontoxic, long-lasting products. In its efforts to reduce product waste, the company has partnered with groups like The Renewal Workshop to divert usable products and materials from landfills.

Photo: renewalworkshop.com

Expect exciting discounts.

The Renewal Workshop resells Pottery Barn products on their website for anywhere from $10 to $215. Expect your favorite Pottery Barn finds to be 20 to 30 percent off the original price, on average. If you’re not satisfied with your purchase, you have up to 60 days to return the item for a full refund. 

“We are excited to partner with the Pottery Barn leadership on their journey to circular,” says a representative of The Renewal Workshop. “This investment demonstrates how the industry is shifting away from the environmentally devastating take-make-waste linear system and embracing restorative circular practices. Our most recent research indicates that 82 percent of what brands consider waste can be renewed and resold. Pottery Barn has tapped into this new supply chain with their Renewed collection and the results are both beautiful and sustainable.”

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Here’s what we love right now.

We took a peek at Pottery Barn’s offerings on The Renewal Workshop website and were pleased with the appealing selection. 

We love this Belgian flax linen duvet cover, perfect for adding an airy layer to a full or queen bed. 

And this grey alpaca faux fur robe is the ideal gift for keeping someone cozy this winter. 

Photo: renewalworkshop.com

We’re also swooning over this metallic printed flax pillow cover, one of many options on the website for adding new energy to a sofa, bed, or chair.