Real estate investment trust company Landsec has confirmed that it will introduce discarded apparel and textiles recycling collection points at its Westgate shopping centre in Oxford. The retail outlet which hosts the stores of brands including Hugo Boss, H&M and Levi’s will trial the initiative on a month-long basis, with the recycling collection service being offered to shoppers alongside fashion sustainability education sessions. The ‘Spring Clean, Think Green’ project will be in place for a month, beginning on 4th March, with the unwanted materials collected from the public being categorised based on suitability for either resale of recycling.
The areas designated as take-back points will also host a variety of activities such as sessions to educate shoppers on the environmental impact of the fashion industry and ways in which they can combat this.
To further incentivize shoppers to take part in the project, Landsec confirmed there will be rewards such as weekly prize draws for those who use the donation banks.
Dependent on the success of the initiative – which will be measured by the quantities of textiles donated – the service could be rolled out across Landsec’s entire UK retail portfolio on a permanent basis. As Spring Clean, Think Green was unveiled, Landsec Sustainability Manager, Tom Byrne stated, “Clothing banks have existed for a number of years, but what we feel has been missing is a landlord-led initiative which can really drive up recycling rates in key retail destinations. “Our kiosk will bring the experience of recycling to life for customers and we’re hopeful that a less passive waste strategy will translate into greater enthusiasm for recycling textiles.”
