One’s Fiber Waste Is Another's Treasure: How We Recycle Every Fiber

Here at Darn Tough Vermont, we knit a lot of socks. We also back up those socks with an Unconditional Lifetime Guarantee – if you wear through a pair, send them back to us and get a replacement pair.

Throughout a year of both knitting and warrantying socks, we wind up with fiber waste. We are proud to say none of that fiber waste goes to the landfill; it’s recycled into new products through strategic knitting initiatives and through our partnership with The Brickle Group.

Who Is the Brickle Group?

Based in Rhode Island, The Brickle Group is a 90-year-old company founded by Hyman Brickle. The business was the first woolen waste dealer in the south, trading recycled fibers between textile mills.

After three generations of Brickle ownership, acquisitions of various textile companies, and diversification into areas like industrial textiles, The Brickle Group is a regional leader in textile recycling. Their expertise and ability to re-use a variety of textiles allows us to recycle all our fiber waste through a single relationship with The Brickle Group.

Types of Fiber Waste

Broadly speaking, our processes create three types of fibers waste:

• Yarn remnants & trimmings
• Mis-knit socks
• Warrantied socks

These three types can be broken down into two categories: pre-consumer (yarn remnants and mis-knit socks) and post-consumer (warrantied socks).

• Pre-consumer waste has never made it to an end consumer.
• Post-consumer waste has been through the wringer in the real-world, often years of wear on other people’s feet. 

We repurpose pre- and post-consumer differently, based on these differences.

Pre-consumer Textile Waste Recycling: Yarn Remnants & Mis-knits

The types of pre-consumer waste are yarn remnants and trimmings (think the odds and ends of fibers that don’t end up in a sock) and any mis-knit socks (socks we knit that are not suitable for sale or donation – e.g. because a knitting needle broke mid-sock).

We send this pre-consumer waste to The Brickle Group so it can be converted into useful items like emergency blankets used for disaster relief.

Post-consumer Textile Recycling: What Happens to the Old Warranty Socks?

Many consumers wonder what happens to their old socks after they are warrantied. Every pair returned gets a thorough inspection. The warranty data is tracked – we use it to improve the next sock we make. As we say around here, “We have yet to produce our best sock.” This warranty information provides a key input into our quest for continuous improvement.

After inspection and documentation of the warranty issues, the socks are added to our textile recycling program as post-consumer textile waste. This waste is processed in a separate pathway by The Brickle Group and is recycled into useful objects like felted automotive batting (think the lining of your trunk or the inside of airplane seats).

2025 Totals

In 2025, Darn Tough Vermont generated and recycled over 100,000 lbs of textile waste. Of that total, roughly 75,000 lbs was pre-consumer waste (~30,000 lbs yarn remnants and ~45,000 lbs mis-knit socks), and ~35,000 lbs was post-consumer warranty socks.

You might be wondering how we deal with moving all that material. We keep a trailer on site, and once it’s loaded with pre- and post-consumer textile waste, we send it south to Rhode Island. That’s a truck load of fiber every 2-3 months getting recycled.

Nothing is wasted; everything is repurposed.

Other Recycling Ideas

Here at Darn Tough Vermont, we have experimented with recycling textile waste to repurpose into new socks but have yet to find a design and process that meets our high standards of comfort, durability, and fit.

In lieu of making a new sock, the fibers are given a second life through The Brickle Group. We can proudly say any fiber waste we generate through our pre- and post-consumer streams processes stays out of landfills and gets put to use in new products.

For those looking for fun alternatives to the warranty and recycling program, we have great examples of crafty folks using our socks to make pet toys, sock puppets, or holiday gifts. Speaking from personal experience, worn out socks also make great grease rags for your muddy mountain bikes.

These employee crafted sock cats have nine lives:

About the Author

Ted Carrick is a Sustainability Analyst here at Darn Tough Vermont. When he isn’t in the office, he can be found spending time with his family, chasing powder, riding bikes, or mowing the lawn.