M&S Shwopping scheme hits half a million clothes

Marks & Spencer has announced that half a million used and

unwanted clothing items have been donated to its new clothes recycling initiative, Shwopping, that is the equivalent of eight items a minute. The initiative, which launched six weeks ago, has donated all the items it is has received to Oxfam for re-sale, re-use or recycling.

The retailer is calling on its customers this weekend to help the scheme reach a million items before the campaign hits its two-month mark. To encourage shoppers to donate their unwanted items, M&S is holding a special ‘money off’ Shwopping event from June 21 to 24, where customers who ‘shwop’ receive a £5 money-off voucher when they spend £35 or more on fashion in-store.

On hearing the results, Joanna Lumley, the initiative’s ambassador said: "I’m thrilled that UK shoppers have become UK shwoppers. We set out to change the way people shop and put an end to clothes going into landfill - half a million items is a great start.

We’re determined to give every item of clothing a future and help some of the world’s poorest people in the process. So, this weekend dig out that old t-shirt you haven’t worn for years and give it a new lease of life. Get Shwopping!"

The results of the scheme come as new research commissioned by M&S reveals that fast-fashion has fuelled a nation of ‘one-wear wonders’. One in five Britons have admitted to having binned an item after just one wear. At an average cost of £22.73 per discarded item, the retailer said this equates to over £91 million of wearable items ending up in landfill every year after only being worn once.

The M&S survey of 2,200 UK consumers conducted by YouGov also revealed that 74 per cent of people have thrown away unwanted clothes over the past twelve months. Cheaper items were more readily disposed of with 44 per cent of one wear items costing less than £20. The retailer also found that one in three Britons has admitted to having binning six or more items over the past year.

M&S has also revealed that its Cheshunt and Buxton stores are ‘Top of the Shwops', with these stores recording the most shwops in the UK. Other top performing stores are London Colney (St Albans), Bluewater (Kent), Brooklands (Weybridge) and Meadowhall (Sheffield).