Army veteran Joe Whitten founded Apparel Impact in 2014 with a mission to reduce textile waste, support local communities, and promote environmental sustainability.
When Whitten returned from his Army service, he initially went into the technology field for 10 years. “I was married as a teenager and when I got out, I had kids,” he says. “I wanted to positively impact the community in some way and based on my research, the reused clothing industry checked all the boxes.”
Whitten partnered with his father Ken, an Air Force veteran and longtime missionary who helped to establish an orphanage in Haiti.
Starting with a few hand-built wooden collection bins, today Apparel Impact, based in Hooksett, operates over 1,700 donation bins across six northeastern states, diverting more than 17 million pounds of textiles from landfills annually. The collected items are sorted and either reused, recycled into products like insulation and carpet padding, or upcycled, ensuring minimal environmental impact. “Eighty five percent of clothing in our country ends up in the trash,” Whitten says. “It’s okay to recycle or reuse your clothing and our behavior needs to change. We’re drowning in clothing.”
The company provides free clothing and resources to individuals in need through partnerships with schools, veteran organizations, and nonprofits. In 2023 alone, they assisted over 4,000 individuals. To educate the public, especially children, about textile recycling, Apparel introduced “Team Impact,” an educational comic book series aimed at fostering environmental stewardship among younger generations.
Apparel Impact is also taking its clothing recycling and reuse message to college and university campuses through its ReU program, which helps campuses implement reuse and recycling initiatives.
The company earned a spot on Business NH’s Magazine’s 2024 list of the Top Family-Owned Businesses in NH and was named the 2024 SBA New Hampshire Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year. They have also been honored with the Easterseals Veterans Count Award and the Aquarion Environmental Champion Award.
“Hooksett is proud to be home to a family and veteran-owned business that continues to be as impactful and innovative as Apparel
Impact. Their efforts have had a profound influence on our town and throughout New Hampshire,” says Andre Garron, town administrator for Hooksett.
To learn more about these winning companies and celebrate their success with them, join us at the Business of the Year Awards celebration to be held on June 6, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown Hotel. For more information or to purchase tickets or tables, visit BusinessNHmagazine.com.
