Marks & Spencer is re-launching its popular “Shwopping” clothing recycling program after months of inactivity. On October 1, the British retailer will revive the 12-year-old upcycling and resale scheme after shutting it down in March amid the retail lockdown. The company will collect donated clothes at 287 of its retail stores and send these charitable collective Oxfam, which brings together more than 20 global charities in an effort to alleviate poverty.
The charity will resell these clothing in one of its shops or on the web, while some donations will be sent to its social enterprise in Senegal. Unsalable merchandize will sent to M&S’ Wastesaver facility to be recycled into new materials, like filling for mattresses. M&S has also taken steps to support a more sustainable shopping journey online. It has begun including details about the eco-friendly raw materials it uses on its product pages, totaling 4,000 so far, and touts itself as the first major U.K. retailer to publish information about each of its factory partners, available through a web-based interactive map.
