By Gary Symons
TLL Editor in Chief
The leading artist merch company Bravado announced at Climate Week NYC a new strategic partnership with REVERB to boost sustainably produced fan merchandise.
The partnership appears to be a natural for Bravado, which has been working on sustainable solutions for its vast artist merchandising business.
REVERB is the music industry’s leading sustainability partner, and has harnessed the cultural influence of music to drive real-world change for over 20 years.
Founded in 2004 by environmentalist Lauren Sullivan and Guster frontman Adam Gardner, REVERB has partnered with hundreds of artists across all genres, including Billie Eilish, Harry Styles, Dave Matthews Band, Dead & Company, Maroon 5, P!nk, Jack Johnson, and many more.
Together, they’ve ‘greened’ thousands of concerts and festivals, eliminated millions of single-use plastic bottles, brought large-scale clean energy solutions to live music, and raised $21 million for environmental and social causes.
Bravado has now partnered with REVERB with the goal of elevating the storytelling around Bravado’s sustainability initiatives and deepen REVERB’s impact with sustainably focused merchandise solutions.
“Bravado is proud to partner with REVERB, which has been a true leader in sustainable action in the live music industry for more than two decades,” said Bravado president Matt Young. “Together, along with the incredible artists who are true leaders in this space, we can push the boundaries of what’s possible in sustainably focused merch while engaging fans in meaningful, planet-positive ways.”
Through this multi-year partnership, REVERB will work closely with Bravado to amplify Bravado’s ongoing sustainability efforts via REVERB’s live event presence and social media channels.
In turn, Bravado will serve as an advisor to REVERB, offering expertise in environmentally responsible merchandise production and design. Bravado will also support REVERB’s tour activations by providing t-shirts for the nonprofit’s on-site volunteers.
“REVERB is thrilled to partner with Bravado to tell the stories of real progress being made in sustainable merch,” said Adam Gardner, Co-Founder of REVERB. “Partnering with Bravado allows us to strengthen the work we’ve been doing with artists and fans around climate action, and is another step toward making every part of the live music experience more responsible.”
To celebrate this new partnership and kick off Climate Week NYC, Bravado and REVERB hosted a Climate Week happy hour on Monday, September 22 at Universal Music Group’s offices in New York.
The event brought together music industry professionals and sustainability advocates to foster connection and conversation around climate and circular economy solutions in the music business. Guests were invited to bring a piece of their own merch to the party to be upcycled on the spot by SUAY, a pioneer in creating a textile recycling, reuse, and repair model that serves everyone.
Dylan Siegler, SVP, Head of Sustainability for Universal Music Group, said the partnership has major implications for the music industry, as touring musicians look to reduce their impact on the environment.
“REVERB has reshaped what best-in-class touring looks like in a climate-conscious world,” Siegler said. “We are excited to share our knowledge of best sustainable merch practices and tap into their network to influence the industry beyond our roster through this strategic partnership.”
Bravado already supports several sustainability-focused merchandise initiatives, including an ambitious program launched last spring with Hallotex to upcycle 400,000 obsolete or unsold t-shirts and other merchandise at scale. Hallotex essentially spins them into new yarn that will be made into an estimated 280,000 new, 100% recycled, cotton t-shirt blanks.
The company has also forged collaborations with SUAY, Lost Love, Fashion-Enter, and other brands to create new items from old stock.