UK consumers are being encouraged to recycle their clothes through an exchange programme being launched by retail giant Marks & Spencer (M&S) and UK charity, Oxfam.
The new initiative aims to raise money to reduce the one million tonnes of clothing sent to landfill annually.
The M&S and Oxfam Clothes Exchange programme marks the first anniversary of Plan A, M&S’ ‘eco-plan’, and will enable consumers to pick up a £5 voucher when they donate unwanted clothes to Oxfam.
Great, go green and all that, but this is where the fine print begins to show itself.
The vouchers will be valid for one month against purchases of £35 or more of M&S clothing, homeware or beauty products. And each bag of clothes donated is expected to contain at least one item of M&S clothing, except intimate apparel, hosiery and socks.
So remember to buy at M&S and then recycle M&S, before claiming your M&S voucher taking you back to…you guessed it.
Knickers and other hosiery aside, M&S is dong a great job to reduce its carbon footprint.
The group launched its five-year, £200m environmental programme, known as Plan A last year. By 2012 it aims to become carbon neutral, send no waste to landfill, extend sustainable sourcing, improve ethical trading and help customers and employees lead healthier lifestyles.
The retailer has already made great strides in its drive to go green, having reduced its UK carbon footprint by 28% by mid 2007, from the previous year, and equating to more than 100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
Every little helps!
