Sustainability has become a vital aspect of companies around the world. In Peru, a clear example is Falabella’s efforts in recycling clothing and the criteria to enhance its actions. We spoke with Silvana Musante, central manager of Marketing and Sustainability at Falabella, about the work they do and its multiple impact aspects.
What is the main objective of the Second Life program and how does it align with the company’s mission?
Second Life is within +Verde, one of the three pillars of Falabella’s sustainability program. The second focuses on the issue of talent and agile culture, and the third is local development. As a company focused on the development and sale of fashion products, we are very interested in generating greater awareness of the reuse of garments and thus being able to contribute to the environment.
How have you been working on this campaign?
There are basically three actions associated with the Second Life program. The first is Trueque, which consists of developing a series of traveling fairs within our stores. We invite our clients, both in Lima and in the province, to come to the stores with clothing that they no longer use, but that are in good condition so that they can be delivered to us. We give a score to those garments and they have the option of choosing other garments that customers have also left. That’s why it’s called barter, you leave something and you take something in exchange. In 2025 we were able, in addition to Lima, to expand it to provinces. We were in Arequipa and Trujillo. The idea is to be able to reach all our stores nationwide. With the Barter action in 2025 we have received approximately 6,000 clients who have delivered around 22 thousand items of clothing. The first version was in 2024, at the Jockey Plaza and due to the success we had we decided to expand it.
What have been the main criteria for determining the potential for reuse?
We have many clients who are concerned about giving a second life to their garments because they are aware of caring for the environment and I believe that the trust that Falabella generates as a brand by being the intermediary of this action generates a lot of openness. In addition, we have been the first retailer to reuse garments. In fact, we are the only one to date.
Have you been able to measure the real impact of your actions with the Second Life program?
Yes, for example with Second Life for Your Jeans, another action with which we tell customers to bring their unused jeans and in exchange we give them a discount coupon to buy a new piece of jean. With the garment they leave us we upcycle or superrecycle, transforming those jeans into other items. From accessories for women, such as purses or jackets. The interesting thing is that we as Falabella close the circle with the Fe y Alegría schools, which is an alliance that we have had for many years. These colleges have technical institutes and as part of them they also teach dressmaking. We have trained them in some items related to fashion so that they can transform unused jeans into new garments. Beyond helping the environment with recycling and lower water consumption, Second Life for Your Jeans also has a social impact because we give students an opportunity to develop their creativity.
In addition to jeans they also recycle sneakers. How has it been possible to collect 14 tons of them since 2024?
The strategy was similar to that of jeans. We did a campaign with mass communication so that the client brought unused sneakers, regardless of the condition or brand, they gave them to us and in exchange we gave them a discount coupon. The campaign was a success. We have transformed those 14 tons of disused sneakers into eco-bricks. And these eco-bricks, like the jeans issue, end up in Fe y Alegría schools. We have delivered 30 thousand bricks that are allowing us to build classrooms, bathrooms, and transform a dirt floor into a more solid floor. With Second Life for your Sneakers we are helping the country’s education.
With these actions have you managed to attract new customers?
We are attracting young clients, we believe it is a segment that is much closer to environmental conservation and who have greater awareness. The idea is to be able to continue building around new categories. Tell clients, for example, to bring makeup containers that they do not use, backpacks or lunch boxes to transform them into new items and continue supporting sustainability.
What is Falabella’s long-term objective with the Second Life program?
We already have the concrete results of reducing water consumption and reducing CO2. But regardless of these, we want to position ourselves as a retailer or a department store that really cares about the environment, about sustainability, about the country’s education, that is why we have an alliance with Fe y Alegría and all our sustainability efforts end with them.
