2026 Impact 50 Honoree: Matt Young

Matt Young
CEO
Bravado

BY THE NUMBER: 400,000. The amount of unsold T-shirts Bravado turned into an estimated 280,000 recycled cotton T-shirt blanks as part of its sustainability efforts.
BIGGEST MENTOR: “My wife reminds me of the importance of the emotional and human side of what we do regularly.”

Merchandising giant Bravado, which is a division of Universal Music Group and has teams in 40 countries, prides itself on being the “leading global provider of consumer, lifestyle and branding services.”

But, with the textile industry producing between 2% and 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, Bravado is also doing its part to make its wares as environmentally friendly as possible.

“Our most impactful accomplishment is certainly our scaling of sustainability in the music merchandise business,” says CEO Matt Young. “We took inspiration from Billie Eilish and rolled it out to several artists in ’25 and continue to add more this year.”
Eilish’s work with Bravado and partnership with REVERB were highlighted in the nonprofit’s recently released responsible merch guide. Bravado transitioned Eilish’s blanks to be 100% recycled cotton, partnering with Hallotex Organic Sound, which saves a lot of natural resources.

Last summer, Bravado announced the launch of a program to upcycle obsolete or unsold items, with more than 400,000 T-shirts and other merchandise sent to Tangiers, Morocco, to be upcycled at textile manufacturer Hallotex. The old merch was spun into new yarn to create an estimated 280,000 recycled cotton T-shirt blanks that then could be utilized by Bravado artists.

Young shares, “Our mantra is everything is about the Artist + Fan relationship. Our job is to be the plus sign in that equation.”

When it comes to responding to 2026’s economic conditions, Young explains that Bravado’s work is bespoke for each artist they work with. He adds, “All decisions are made based on their relationship with the fans. Our job is to know how best to help that connection.”

Looking ahead, Young says, “Our business is always about the fan connection and helping create items and experiences that enhance the emotion the artist creates. Merchandise is the last part of the emotion music creates that you can literally touch.”