The Story Behind Wilco’s Sustainable Summer 2024 Tour Merch
In early 2024, the legendary alt-rock band Wilco sought a sustainable partner for their tour merchandise. They turned to Everywhere for a comprehensive, recycled merch solution.
The collaborative project showcased Everywhere’s commitment supporting artists with their sustainability goals, bringing to life a collection of recycled garments for Wilco’s tour and their bi-annual Solid Sound Festival at MASS MoCA.
Creating a Sustainable Approach to Artist Merch with Wilco
Since its inception, Wilco has been a passionate advocate for social and environmental causes. Frontman Jeff Tweedy’s dedication to environmental, social, and labor justice causes include raising money for conservation of Mt. Tamalpais state park in Mill Valley, CA, appearing at fundraisers for the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater organization, and supporting work at the Southern Poverty Law Center (1-3).
These values aligned perfectly with Everywhere’s mission to transform waste into high-quality recycled clothing within our ethical and sustainable supply chain. Having collaborated before on a 2021 project that turned Wilco’s band tees into COVID masks, the renewed partnership aimed to push the boundaries of Wilco’s sustainability efforts even further.
This year’s project was rooted in three core goals: minimizing environmental impact, delivering custom designs, and ensuring seamless logistics to land the merchandise, even to remote locations. Here’s how we turned landfill-bound textile waste into exclusive, eco-friendly recycled cotton merch for one of music’s most environmentally conscious bands.
Starting the Project: Planning, Design, and Waste Sourcing
The project kicked off with an ongoing dialogue between Wilco’s team and Everywhere. From custom style development to graphics consultations, we worked closely to bring Wilco’s vision to life.
Wilco wanted their tour shirts to be as sustainable as possible and made into styles that would resonate with fans. Our team made sure that garment designs met Wilco’s stylistic requirements while also adhering to strict environmental standards, such as making each shirt from our 100% recycled GRS-certified cotton.
By tapping into our extensive supply chain textile waste sources, we ensured that each shirt, v-neck, and tank top aligned with the band’s sustainability goals. Through this approach, we minimized production waste, focusing on made-to-order quantities that reduced leftover materials and resource usage.
Merch Development, Eco-Friendly Production, and Logistics
Production began with turning post-industrial textile scraps into high-quality yarn, spun in ethical facilities and transformed into fabrics in Los Angeles. Once the fabrics were ready, we created a collection of tees and tanks to order, printing Wilco’s graphics on our CirCot™ recycled shirts.
After creating Wilco’s sustainable merch, we had to get it into their hands. This meant landing apparel deliveries to the band while on tour, including shipments to major cities, tiny towns, and directly to venues.
Far from just mailing a few boxes of shirts, the logistical challenges of supplying merch to a band on tour are significant and many. Unlike international tours, where issues like customs, taxes, and delicate international shipping are major concerns, domestic tours have a unique set of concerns. These supply chains are more focused on tight timelines, fluctuating demand, and the complexities of regional distribution.
Coordinating shipments to arrive in multiple cities on-time requires precise planning, especially when factoring in inventory management for various sizes and styles of apparel. Shipping delays or misaligned deliveries can directly impact merchandise sales at key venues, which are a critical revenue stream for many artists, as well as the fan experience.
Despite the challenges, however, we ensured timely delivery of Wilco’s merch to important stops along the tour, as well as to the secluded town of North Adams, MA for Solid Sound Festival. We managed tight turnarounds and direct shipments to venues, helping the band maintain a seamless experience for fans.
Measuring the Impact: Real Results from Recycled Merch
To underscore the positive environmental impact of our partnership, we developed custom sustainability graphics for Wilco to display at merch tents and share on social media. This transparency helped fans understand the significance of choosing recycled cotton apparel.
Together, our efforts diverted over 2,673 lbs of textile waste from landfills, saved more than 3.4 million gallons of water, and prevented 8,000 lbs of CO2 emissions compared to traditional cotton t-shirts.
The Future of Sustainable Merch with Wilco
Our partnership with Wilco is still unfolding. What started as a solution to pandemic challenges has evolved into a long-term relationship. With two more orders already underway for upcoming events, Everywhere is excited to continue supporting Wilco in their commitment to environmentally conscious merchandise.
Together, we’re helping artists express their values through their merch and make an impact.
