Our History Supports A Sustainable Future
Before sustainability was even a thought, there was Goodwill. Goodwill has been reducing waste and encouraging the reuse of items for more than 120 years.
Discover the innovative idea that sparked the Goodwill movement
Today, Goodwill Store and Donation Centers provide convenient locations to extend the life of items. When you shop and donate at Goodwill, you are supporting a more sustainable future.
We take a relentless approach to reducing landfill waste. When you donate to Goodwill, we provide multiple opportunities for your item to be reused, repurposed, or recycled. In 2023 alone, donations to Goodwill kept more than 150 million pounds of clothing and household items out of landfills in Greater Milwaukee and Chicago.
To further increase our environmental impact, we stopped using plastic shopping bags in 2022, eliminated the need for plastic cards for our loyalty rewards program, Goodwill Perks Plus and continue to expand opportunities for donated goods to find new homes by opening new stores, outlets, and launching an ecommerce site, GoodwillFinds.
Repurpose – Rethink – Reuse
After your generously donated items are given the chance to sell in our retail stores, outlet stores, and online, some unsold merchandise is repurposed or recycled.
We recycle:
- Metal
- Cardboard
- Textiles
- Toys
- Glass
- Shoes
- Purses
We select secondary market partners who share our commitment to supporting the triple bottom line – people, prosperity and the planet.
We Recycle Stained And Worn Out Clothing
Did you know you can donate badly torn or worn clothing and other textiles? That sock that’s missing a mate? Donate it. Ripped pillowcase? Donate it. We can recycle clothing and textile items that aren’t able to be sold. Check our donor guidelines to see what types of textiles we accept.
Electronics Donations And Recycling
Goodwill is committed to electronics recycling and keeping electronic waste out of landfills. When you donate an old computer or other electronic device to Goodwill, your donated device can help support someone in their search for a new job. We ensure your privacy is protected by erasing all personal data, and repair or recycle your electronics donation. Our e-cycling team can repair old laptops or computers then resell the computers or parts through our ecommerce platform, GoodwillFinds. If your electronics donation cannot be repaired, we will recycle the metals and plastics from your computer, cell phone, or gaming system, protecting the environment from the impact of electronics waste.
Sustainability In Our Facilities And Operations
Our facilities and operations support sustainability in 5 ways:
Location selection. We choose retail store and donation center locations that balance sales potential, donation potential, and job needs in the community. Our goal is to keep donations in the community to better benefit the local area and minimize the environmental impact of trucking donations from one store to another.
Heating and cooling. All our locations have automated, up-to-date heating and cooling systems equipped with motion sensors whenever possible. We apply UV film to windows to reduce load on air conditioning units. And we use LED lighting in all our facilities.
Simple and efficient design. We build and update stores using thoughtful material choices, selecting materials for durability, repairability and recyclability whenever possible. For example: our polished concrete flooring reduces the use of adhesives and can be cleaned without the use of harsh chemicals.
Fuel consumption and truck use. We manage our own fleet and schedule trucking frequency and routes to maximize fuel efficiency.
Remote and hybrid workforce. Many of our employees work remotely or in a remote-hybrid role. This flexibility reduces the amount of driving done by these employees, helping to protect our environment and reducing wear and tear on vehicles.