Swedish retail giant H&M has today announced plans to offer a global clothes collecting service. H&M strive to reduce the environmental impact of clothes on landfill sites.
In selected stores from February 2013, customers will be able to discard of unwanted garments into H&M shops - regardless of their origins, in exchange for a £5 discount voucher for each bag donated. The voucher can then be used against a transactional purchase of £30 or more.
The collected clothes are then handled by H&M's partner, I:Collect, which provides the infrastructure in which consumer goods are repeatedly reprocessed and made available for new use.
"Our sustainability efforts are rooted in a dedication to social and environmental responsibility," explained Karl-Johan Persson, CEO H&M. "We want to do good for the environment, which is why we are now offering our customers a convenient solution: to be able to leave their worn out or defective garments with H&M."
The scheme is similar to the 'Shwopping' initiative launched by Marks & Spencer this April. Hiring the glamorous Absolutely Fabulous actress Joanna Lumley as the face of the campaign, the scheme encourages customers to swap any old or unwanted items in return for a £5 voucher; the clothes are then recycled or resold by Oxfam. In October M&S unveiled the first product to be manufactured from Shwopped items - a limited-edition, double-breasted jacket made from recycled wool, priced £89.
It is awesome how these retail giants are also concerning themselves about the environment and being socially responsible rather than just be aiming at gaining profits. Hopefully more companies will join onto the bandwagon in the near future !
Source: Telegraph
