“So many parents that we’ve talked to over the years want to shop secondhand, but they find the process time-consuming and frankly, quite overwhelming. We wanted to make it easier for them and make the sustainable choice, the easy choice,” said Nicole Boynton, co-founder of Hand Me Up, an ecommerce platform for second-hand children’s clothing that she started with co-founder Kara Livingston in San Antonio, Texas. “Our goal is to keep as many textiles out of the growing landfills as possible, one piece of kid’s clothing at a time.” 

A winner in the  ‘Innovating for environmental sustainability’ category in the 2023 Xero Beautiful Business Fund, Hand Me Up was recognised for their work helping consumers in the US have an easier way to shop second-hand and cut down on clothing waste. We connected with co-founder Nicole Boynton to discover how Hand Me Up started and how she plans to continue driving sustainability through the business.

Keeping children’s clothes out of landfill

Lifelong friends for over 20 years, Nicole and Kara quickly bonded in high school while working on projects like class fundraisers and host camps for kids. They knew from the start that they made a great team. Over the years, they’ve embarked on many journeys together, including motherhood. It was during this time they started a blog and podcast called “Simply Whole Moms.” 

“We spent three years interviewing other moms and sharing everything we could to keep their lives simple while they took care of themselves and their growing families,” Nicole shared. Through this community, they discovered the common challenge parents faced: children constantly outgrew their clothes, leaving them scrambling to purchase new items. 

The idea for Hand Me Up was born. 

Founded in 2021, Hand Me Up offers a unique ecommerce experience that makes shopping for second-hand children’s clothing more convenient and cost-effective for families. The company is also tackling the growing environmental issue of textile waste. Nicole explains, “The average American throws away 80 to 100 pounds of clothing per person per year. We can stop textiles from going into the landfill by recirculating items throughout families across the US.”

Hand Me Up’s main product,  “The Bag”, contains a mix-and-match wardrobe of either 7 or 16 preloved children’s clothing items. When customers visit the Hand Me Up website, they can choose their child’s style and size preferences. From there, the Hand Me Up team of moms assembles the mix-and-match bundle according to their preferences and ships it to them. Once the customer receives their new-to-them clothes, they can refill their bag with outgrown clothes from their children’s closets and get $10 off their next order. Hand Me Up offers both subscription and one-time purchases as well as a deals section on their site, where customers can add items like graphic t-shirts, swimsuits or fancy dresses to their order.

“The average American throws away 80 to 100 pounds of clothing per person per year. We can stop textiles from going into the landfill by recirculating items throughout families across the US.”

Nicole Boynton, Co-founder of Hand Me Up

Winning the Xero Beautiful Business Fund was a chance to do more

The pivot to Hand Me Up was a journey of growth and learning for both Nicole and Kara. “We’ve taught ourselves so many skills on this journey and continue to learn daily,” Nicole said.

Sustainability remains at the heart of Hand Me Up, but when starting the business, the team had to be selective about the investments they made. “During the early days, we used whatever packaging we could find just to get the business up and running,” Nicole said. “We used poly shipping bags from Amazon and colored tissue paper, and priced out more sustainable bag options before launch, as we just didn’t have the funds at that point to achieve this goal.” 

The Xero Beautiful Business Fund became a chance for them to do just that. 

Packaging was one area that needed a big upgrade and they felt that the sustainability category aligned well with Hand Me Up’s needs and values. “Sustainable choices are the heartbeat of our company,” Nicole explained. 

Nicole and Kara knew exactly what they would do with the funding from the Xero Beautiful Business Fund. They would finally upgrade their shipping bags to reusable branded poly bags made from recycled materials, which are recyclable in the correct facility. They would also switch the colored tissue paper used inside their bags with the more sustainable option of recycled kraft paper. 

“We had a great time applying for the fund,” Nicole recalls. “I vividly remember sitting outside one of our favorite coffee shops recording our submission video. Kara and I both truly enjoy and love sharing about our business and the impact we want to make, so getting to tell our story during the application process brought us joy.”

Advancing sustainability, one bag at a time

Hand Me Up made the transition to recyclable bags this year, thanks to the funds they won from the 2023 Xero Beautiful Business Fund.

“We did a hefty amount of research trying to decide which type of shipping bag we would order, as the model of our business includes sending one bag full of clothes to the customer along with an empty bag and pre-paid shipping label to send in hand-me-downs,” Kara shared. “We ended up choosing double-use, recyclable poly bags from noissue, which are made from recycled materials with soy-based ink. They’re branded and have two adhesive strips, so they can be used twice without any danger of breaking open because they weren’t sealed properly,” explained Kara. 

The bags can also be recycled through re-use or at an appropriate recycling facility. Nicole and Kara are thrilled to offer these new, more sustainable options to their customers. 

But this isn’t the only sustainable change the team is unboxing. The funds also helped the Hand Me Up team purchase large paper-roll holders and recycled Kraft paper to wrap the clothes that they send out. “We’re excited to continue exploring more sustainable packing options aside from the bags, like switching to fabric mailers, and stickers that are made from environmentally friendly materials, to offer an even more sustainable experience for our customers,” said Nicole. 

“Our customers tend to be big advocates for sustainability, so we’re delighted to be able to practice what we preach with the help of the Xero Beautiful Business Fund. We’re hoping to be fully sustainable and eco-friendly not too long from now, so that we can wholeheartedly live out our company’s mission and values.”  

The Xero Beautiful Business Fund is back for 2024 and entries are officially open. The 2023 winners are an incredible group of small businesses and nonprofits who are passionate about solving problems and making an impact in their local communities. We’re spotlighting some of the past winners to hear more about how the fund has impacted their business and helped them achieve their goals. Check out these stories by visiting the blog.

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