M&S brings back Shwopping recycling scheme with Oxfam

M&S has announced it will be bringing back its well-known clothes recycling scheme, Shwopping in partnership with Oxfam, from 1 October.

Shwopping was temporarily paused in March due to the Coronavirus pandemic, as the retailer focused on placing additional safety measures in-store needed for serving customers.

Following a rise in wardrobe clear-outs during lockdown, from 1 October M&S customers can restart donating unwanted clothes, shoes, bras and accessories from any brand or condition in nearly 290 M&S stores.

In line with government guidelines, M&S said it will quarantine all donated items for 48 hours before sending them onto Oxfam.

All clothing items that customers donate will be sent to Oxfam to be resold in one of its shops or online, to be reused via its social enterprise in Senegal or to be recycled into new materials, which are used by businesses such as M&S’s mattress filling.

Head of Sustainable Business for M&S, Carmel McQuaid said: “At M&S, our goal is to source all our products with care and ensure nothing we make goes to waste. We want our customers to be confident that the clothes they buy at M&S are made to last, but if they finish wearing their old favourites, we make it easy to give them a new purpose through Shwopping."

"It’s a brilliant programme that many of our customers rely on as they shop with us for new staples — and now more than ever it’s perfect for those who have been decluttering.”

Head of Audience & Strategic Planning at Oxfam, Fee Gilfeather commented: “We are delighted that M&S, which shares Oxfam’s sustainability ambitions, is bringing back Shwopping to its stores. Shwopping is designed to make it easy for customers and the general public to donate unwanted garments to Oxfam via M&S stores and helps to extend the lifecycle of clothes and reduce the number of items of clothing going to landfill."

"The return of Shwop drops to M&S stores means that there are more ways for people to donate to Oxfam and support our work fighting poverty and helping vulnerable communities around the world.”

Since 2008, M&S has helped raise nearly £23m from the sale of donated items to help people living in extreme poverty, through the Shwopping scheme.