Every year 19.9 million students will attend colleges and universities across the United States. Buying college gear is a popular way for students to represent their school community and exhibit their school spirit. However, students simply hoping to sport their school’s name are being deterred from purchasing such items due to their high cost (ex. $50 sweater). In pricing these products so high, universities are excluding lower-income students who cannot afford to purchase this merchandise, while catering towards those who can. This does not align with many colleges and universities mission to foster inclusive and equitable college campuses. “college thrifts” customer development research revealed that college students place much value in being able to represent their institutions of higher education. Over ninety-nine percent of students surveyed from across the nation agreed that wearing university branded gear positively enhances their school spirit, which directly increases students’ value in school culture, academic performance, extra-curricular attendance, unity, and belonging. However, over eighty- five percent of students stated that university branded gear at university bookstores is unaffordable. Students have expressed a need for a platform that allows them to purchase sustainable college gear at a fraction of the bookstore prices while also leveraging the power of a university of a network. So we designed a solution.
Think “Tinder” for sustainably sourced collegiate gear and higher education networking. "college thrifts” is an inclusive peer to peer platform for students/alumni to buy/sell their gently used college branded items and network amongst users. The "college thrifts" goal is to create more inclusive and sustainable institutions of higher education, supporting economic development amongst college students, and creating mentorship opportunities.
We are gamifying what it means to be a socially responsible consumer brand. Users on our platform are able to track their individual carbon footprint and that of their university campus as a whole. Through this, we are addressing 4 UN SDGs which include Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, Goal 13: Climate Action, and Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth.
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