The Aggie Reuse Store has built its reputation for its circular economy, which is completely free of cost for UC Davis students. Its mission is to serve as a basic needs resource for the campus student community. By doing so, it eliminates barriers that thrift stores impose.  

The Aggie Reuse Store offers a sustainable alternative to traditional retail or thrift stores, providing students with access to clothing, school supplies (including art supplies) and kitchenware they may be unable to afford, and opportunities to participate in creative activities outside of consumerism. The store also encourages recycling and upcycling, which is the process of reusing waste materials to make something of higher value, whether artistic or environmental. 

The store recently moved from the Silo to the Memorial Union, which helped increase its popularity. Through tracking donations and foot traffic, staff were able to work on outreach and engagement with the community. They also keep track of the store’s waste diversion based on the average weight of a shirt, which contributes to sustainability. 

The UC Davis community may donate clothing, school and craft supplies, kitchen items, accessories, fabric and small working electronics. The store asks that clothing be washed before donating. Ripped and stained clothing are acceptable for upcycling purposes. "Buying” an item from the Aggie Reuse Store is quite simple. Items are free, and students may take whatever they want without presenting an ID — no questions asked. If students can swap an item for one they are taking, all the better, but there is no pressure to do so.  

Besides providing resources, Aggie Reuse engages with students through campus events. It hosts mending workshops where students can learn to upcycle ripped and stained clothing. Occasionally, it operates a pop-up storefront on the quad for accessibility and engagement. Its reach extends beyond campus and to Yolo County, as it collaborates with Empower Yolo, collecting clothing donations for survivors of domestic abuse. The store also partners with the UC Davis Mental Health Initiative and Student Housing and Dining Services (SHDS). For example, SHDS directs discarded clothing from the dorms to the Aggie Reuse Store where the store team repurposes the items rather than them ending up in a landfill. 

Relating the Aggie Reuse Store to our focus, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), there is a strong correlation between this on-campus program and three goals. 

The first connection that the store has to the SDGs pertains to SDG 10: Reducing Inequalities. Since the Aggie Reuse Store prioritizes accessible resources for students while keeping its campus location easy to reach, it helps eliminate many of the barriers that other resources for clothing and materials often have. 

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities is another priority. By repurposing clothing and other resources that would have otherwise found their way into the trash, the store finds a more sustainable way for customers to consume. 

This ties into our last comparison drawn, which relates the Aggie Reuse Store to SDG 12: Responsible Production and Consumption. With a storefront based on second-hand materials, the store allows for a far more responsible means of production and consumption compared to other processes within the textile industry.  

With these goals in mind, the Aggie Reuse Store continues to be a resource for accessible, sustainable needs for community members.