M&S rolls out 'important' change for shoppers who buy clothes in stores

M&S and Oxfam have announced a trial for postal donation bags for "unwearable" clothes. The scheme is part of effort to reduce ‘staggering’ quantities of textiles going to landfill or incinerator, Marks and Spencer - or M&S - has said.

Katharine Beacham, M&S’s head of materials, sustainability and packaging, said the scheme made it possible for someone to clear out all their unloved clothing in one go. “Whether it is wearable or unwearable, we want it all,” she said.

People will be able to recycle their preloved clothing from the comfort of their own home by ordering a pre-paid postal donation bag from the Oxfam website. The bag, which is made from 100% recycled plastic, allows for preloved clothing to be separated into two groups.

READ MORE UK braced for first 'official' heatwave of year with temperatures in 'high 20s'

It cincludes those that are good quality and wearable and those that are unwearable - but equally too good to waste - and return them for free via a local courier where they will then go directly to Oxfam to be resold, reused, or recycled.

M&S and the charity have for a number of years been working together on the “shwopping” initiative, in which customers drop off old clothing in exchange for loyalty card perks. It comes amid a startling amount of waste across the country each and every year.

after newsletter promotion

Adam Mansell, the chief executive of UKFT, said urgent action was needed to tackle the “staggering amount” of textile waste that ended up in landfill or incinerated each year. “We’re aiming to encourage people to separate their items so that in future, worn-out clothing can make its way to an automated sorting facility and then be recycled into new textiles and garments here in the UK,” he said.

The trial forms part of the ACT Project, which is being led by the UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT).