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Insanely popular high street clothing chain Topshop has launched a recycling initiative. From now on you'll be able to take any unwanted and unloved clothes into a store, pop it in a collection box and Topshop will give them to the charity TRAID (Textile Recycling for Aid and International Development). For this week only, 23 to 29 June 2008, the company will also be holding talks on reusing clothes and having events where you can swap items you don't want with someone else.
The Topshop Wants Your Rubbish campaign aims to build on the company's new eco-friendly and ethical reputation -- beginning to sell fair trade clothing and brands like People Tree.
The purpose of this week is to get more people aware that recycling old clothes is better than throwing them away -- even a skirt full of holes is useful as the fabric will be used to make a new garment -- and Topshop has a huge number of shoppers it can relate their message to. The TRAID collection boxes will be a permanent fixture in Topshop stores but are only at four locations at the moment -- London, Manchester, Dublin and Glasgow. Topshop told me they plan to expand this nationwide over time.
TRAID is a good cause for Topshop to support -- it promotes the recycling and re-use of clothing as a way of raising money to reduce world poverty. Do remember that all charity shops want your used clothing, though -- and books, toys and those little sherry glasses they can't seem to get enough of. So if your wardrobe resembles a dense forest, maybe it's time to get rid of that top with the holes in the sleeves and your never-worn-again pair of trousers.
Photo: _sarchi
28 August 2008 05:48pm
It never ceases to amaze me what business will do to pay lip service to eco/ethical issues. is it just me that thinks these are cheap PR tactics and that they have little or no real intention of changing the core way they make money? It would be daft to think Topshop (or any other high st store) could sell their wares at the prices they do, without "someone" losing out and equally ludicrous to believe they have suddenly had a change of heart about the environment.
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