"Scandinavian Preppy" Retailers Takeback Clothes For Second-Hand Sales
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 06. 2.08
Polarn Och Pyret, the Scandinavian progenitor to Hanna Andersson, sells children's and women's cotton clothing in bright basic colors and (famously) lots of stripes. They've incorporated organic cotton into much of their line, and for two years have also allowed customers to use their web site to freely resell (better than Ebay!) the clothes, which of course cost a bit more than the super cheap stuff you can buy at places like H&M, but last longer.
Now the the even more preppy Boomerang clothing company will offer another sort of "recycling". Starting with the 2009 Spring line, Boomerang will let you bring in Junior collection clothes to retail stores, which it will then resell as second-hand (after washing). The customer gets a discount on the next purchase. Camino, Sweden's lifestyle sustainability magazine, says Boomerang has copied the concept from Japan's Uniqlo, which twice a year accepts its brand name items back for "recycling" (about 150,000 items come in and many are donated to refugees). But it was Patagonia who definitely blazed the trail in letting customers bring in Capilene for recycling (it now takes back fleece and cotton T's, too). It's great other retailers are experimenting with the concept. Via ::E24 (Swedish)
See also: World Peace Through Dirty Underwear, Patagonia Launches Common Threads Recycling
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This is a great idea! Now here's what I'd like to see: I'll sell them my second hand clothes, which they can resell. The money (or credit) from my used clothing can be applied to buying new clothes in their store. This'd be really handy for people who are frequently changing sizes...dieters or children or pregnant women, for example.
It's a pity there's such a stigma attached to second-hand clothes, or second-hand anything really.
Most people wouldn't flinch at a second-hand car, but a pair of trousers someone else has worn... If people could be weaned off this need for new products all the time, it would make a tremendous impact one our global footprint. Unfortunately manufacturers are far more enamoured with profit levels than carbon levels, so they ain't gonna let that happen. The media brainwashing will continue and we'll dutifully dash out and spend all our hard-earned money on garbage we invariably don't need.
At least the companies mentioned here are making an effort, though profit will no doubt be at the root of it - no discounts are stated, but I'm guessing any discount they offer on future purchases is more than covered by the in-built profit margins and the profit from the sale of your second-hand item.
Still, it's a step in kind of the right direction. Let's hope it catches on and inadvertently leads to a change in consumers' mindsets.
Steve N. Lee
author of eco-blog Lions led by Sheep - http://www.lionsledbysheep.com
and eco-suspense thriller 'What if...?'