Timbuk2, a San Francisco original, today launches the Timbuk2 Life Cycle, an environmental responsibility program to reduce, reuse, repair, recycle, and reimagine Timbuk2 bags. To launch this effort, Timbuk2 announces new partnerships with yerdle, iFixit, and TerraCycle, and hires a full-time repairs sewer in San Francisco.

“The Timbuk2 Life Cycle is the most responsible thing we can do environmentally – extending the life of our existing products – and we are passionate about the reduce, reuse, repair, recycle, and reimagine aspects of the program,” said Timbuk2 Brand Director Lizzy Fallows. “Life Cycle has led to the development of new meaningful partnerships with yerdle, iFixit, and Terra Cycle, and a new full-time hire of a repairs sewer in our San Francisco factory. It’s the program we’re most proud of and we hope our customers find it both useful and inspiring.”

The Timbuk2 Life Cycle enables Timbuk2 bags to live a full life, now and forever. Learn about the Life Cycle at http://lifecycle.timbuk2.com and see a summary of the program’s five pillars below.

Reduce: Timbuk2 encourages customers to invest in things that last. All Timbuk2 bags have a lifetime warranty and Timbuk2 stands behind the legendary quality and craftsmanship.

Reuse: Timbuk2 now helps customers find a new home for their bag:

DIY – Yerdle Your Bag – Timbuk2 partners with yerdle, an online community where people give and get things for free. On yerdle, people give away durable goods they no longer need, like camping gear, kitchen tools, electronics and kids toys. By giving something away, you earn points – then use your points to get something you want.

Let Timbuk2 Do It – Send Timbuk2 any unwanted bags and they will find it a new home via a local non-profit partner and give the customer 30% off their next Timbuk2 purchase through April 2014, and 20% thereafter.  Repair: Timbuk2 now offers repairs to keep their bags working for the long haul: DIY – Timbuk2 launches new fix-it manuals and replacement parts for customers to repair their bag. Get started here: http://lifecycle.timbuk2.com.

Let Timbuk2 Do It – Timbuk2 hired a new full-time sewer dedicated to repair products. Customers can now send in damaged bags and they’ll do their best to repair it. Learn more here: http://lifecycle.timbuk2.com.

Recycle: Customers can now send Timbuk2 any unwanted bags and they will recycle it via their new partner TerraCycle, a New Jersey-based upcycling company, and will give 30% off the next Timbuk2 purchase through April 2014 and 20% thereafter.

Reimagine: Timbuk2 now provides inspiration to create something entirely new out of a Timbuk2 bag. http://lifecycle.timbuk2.com.

Timbuk2’s Life Cycle program was inspired by Patagonia’s Common Threads Partnership. Fallows explained, “Patagonia educated us about the 5 R’s of their Common Threads Partnership and encouraged us to use a similar structure for our Life Cycle program. Their mentorship and generosity developing, testing, and launching our program was invaluable. Patagonia really walks the talk, and we look forward to furthering the cause of their Common Threads Partnership through our Life Cycle initiatives.”

Timbuk2 has also partnered with TerraCycle to debut two new messenger bags created from discarded U.S. Postal Service bags. The upcycled messenger bags are available in brown and white in two sizes for purchase for $99 (Size Small) and $109 (Size Medium) at http://www.timbuk2.com/tb2/products/recycled-vintage-messenger-bag.  For more information about Timbuk2, visit www.timbuk2.com

Logo courtesy Timbuk2