Returns and Landfill

This open letter was sent on Feb 5th 2025 to —
National Retail Federation (NRF)
Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA)
American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA)

Subject : Open Letter on the Unsustainable Reality of Retail Returns & Landfill Waste

Dear industry leaders

This open letter calls for urgent action from the leading trade bodies representing the US retail industry, to call attention to the alarming disconnect between so-called corporate social responsibility (CSR) commitments and the reality of how retail returns are handled. While retailers increasingly promote sustainability initiatives, the massive volume of returned goods ending up in landfills paints a starkly different picture.

The Scale of the Problem

In 2022 alone, US consumers returned a staggering $816 billion worth of goods. According to industry studies, 4.75 million US tons of these returns were sent to landfills — equivalent to about 10,500 fully loaded Boeing 747s. Additionally, the reverse logistics process behind returns generated 1.6 billion gallons of diesel fuel consumption and 16.5 million US tons of CO₂ emissions, worsening the environmental crisis.

The sheer jaw dropping size of returns warehouses across the US has to be seen to be believed. Facilities stretching over millions of square feet are filled with products that are not restocked, resold, or recycled but rather destroyed, liquidated at unsustainable prices, or dumped. Consumers are largely unaware of this, assuming their returns are being resold rather than discarded.

Greenwashing vs Real Solutions

Both NRF and RILA emphasize sustainability in their CSR commitments, with dedicated councils and policy initiatives. However, these window-dressing efforts ring hollow when juxtaposed with the reality of unsustainable returns practices. If your organizations are serious about sustainability, the following must be addressed :

1. Retailers must improve return policies – Encouraging mindful purchasing through better product descriptions, fit tools, and digital try-ons can reduce unnecessary returns.

2. Improved retail marketing – Major retailers must make a cultural shift away from competitively steering consumers into throwaway thinking, especially with free returns.

3. Circular economy initiatives must be enforced – Retailers should be required to resell, repair, or recycle returned goods instead of destroying them.

4. Increased transparency is essential – The public deserves to know how retailers manage returned inventory, including landfill diversion efforts.

5. Legislation should be encouraged – Industry-wide policies must be developed to hold major retailers accountable for excessive waste, including introducing levies for returns.

6. Raising awareness in schools – Legislation or initiatives must be introduced to heighten awareness among school children concerning the adverse environmental impacts of the throwaway culture.

Call to Action

It is no longer acceptable for retailers to claim sustainability while presiding over a returns system that fuels landfill waste on a mega industrial scale. As the trade bodies representing the largest retailers in the US, you have the power — and responsibility — to push for major meaningful reforms.

The US urgently needs you to take decisive action in ensuring that sustainability efforts in the retail sector extend beyond marketing narratives and produce real, measurable environmental benefits. In addition, a nationwide initiative should be launched to bring awareness into schools, ensuring that future generations understand the environmental consequences of our throwaway culture and unsustainable consumption.

Lets also have a discussion forum on how meaningful change can be implemented.

Sincerely
Fab Phoenix LLC

References —
Acknowledgement is given to businessinsider.com for the core data used in this blog post.