Five years in, SwagCycle has hit a major milestone: keeping 2 million items out of landfills.
It’s a point of pride for founder Ben Grossman, also the co-president of Somerville, MA-based distributor Grossman Marketing Group (asi/215205) and a member of Counselor’s Power 50 list of the most influential people in promo.
He started SwagCycle in 2019 as a platform for landfill diversion of obsolete or unwanted promotional products – whether through charitable donation or recycling. Since its inception, the platform has caught on in a big way, with a number of suppliers and distributors across the country – several among the Counselor Top 40 – reaching out for SwagCycle’s help.
“We’re incredibly proud to see leading operators in the space recognize the importance of this mission and partner with us to make an impact,” said Grossman, who was also the 2022 Bess Cohn Humanitarian of the Year.
Grossman continued: “Reaching the milestone of 2 million items kept out of landfills reflects the industry’s growing commitment to sustainability. Whether through donations or recycling, we’re dedicated to helping companies reduce their environmental footprint while supporting communities in meaningful ways.”
Grossman pointed to several recent collaborations with industry companies as instrumental in helping SwagCycle reach the 2 million mark.
BlueMark (asi/142002) in Valencia, CA, reached out to SwagCycle initially to repurpose excess PPE: six pallets of cloth masks (144,000 in total) and 12 pallets of wipes (more than 10,000 total packs). SwagCycle connected the distributor to Delivering Good, an organization that brings new products to families in need. Delivering Good was able to pick up the products directly from BlueMark’s warehouse at no charge. The total donation value was nearly $100,000, according to Grossman.
“We were able to work out an arrangement with SwagCycle and very quickly get the masks and wipes to people who need them as opposed to them going to waste,” said Joseph Shusterman, CEO of BlueMark. “I think that was really great.”
A Counselor Top 40 supplier reached out to SwagCycle to help with a warehouse cleanup. Grossman was able to connect the firm with the charity Provision Ministry, which received two truckloads of deadstock apparel from the supplier. With roughly 90,000 units, the donation value was around $200,000, according to Grossman.
Provision Ministry distributes food and new clothing, footwear, hygiene products and school supplies to underserved children, families, refugees, veterans and those struggling with addiction, mental illness and homelessness through a network of nonprofit partners in 14 states, according to Thomas Slicklen, president and founder of the charity.
“Provision Ministry could not bring hope and dignity to low-income communities without partners like SwagCycle,” Slicklen said.
He added that the donation “provided essential clothing items such as T-shirts, sweatshirts and sweatpants to those struggling with homelessness.”
SwagCycle also recently helped Counselor Top 40 distributor BAMKO (asi/131431) donate 2,400 baby blankets to Baby2Baby, a national nonprofit that has distributed more than 450 million essential items to children living in poverty across the United States over the last 13 years.
Even as they celebrate their latest 2 million milestone, Grossman and SwagCycle are focused on the future, working toward expanding the platform’s geographic footprint, growing its charitable partnerships and increasing recycling and upcycling capabilities.
“Our goal is to share knowledge across the industry, raising awareness about what’s possible when it comes to minimizing waste,” Grossman said. “By continuing to innovate and collaborate, we aim to have the biggest social impact while ensuring that even more products are diverted from landfills.”
