What's better than shopping? Why shwopping, of course.
The U.K. retail chain Marks & Spencer has announced a sustainable fashion initiative through which it is asking consumers to trade-in an unwanted piece of clothing every time they purchase a new item — shwopping. All clothing collected will be reused, resold or recycled through Oxfam, the international human rights and anti-poverty organization.
"We're leading a change in the way we all shop for clothing, forever," said Marc Bolland, CEO of Marks & Spencer in a press release. "This is the right, responsible move for the U.K.'s biggest clothing retailer and the ultimate goal is simple — to put a complete stop to clothes ending up in landfill."
Marks & Spencer estimates that it sells 350 million clothing items a year. Getting consumers to buy-in to the shwopping initiative could substantially reduce clothing that makes its way into landfills.
![[Image: M&S Shwopping]](/public/images/discussions/15982/shwopping-still.jpg)
An unidentified spokesperson for the Charity Retail Association told The Guardian, "We are encouraged to see a large commercial retailer making a concerted effort to reuse clothing through charity shops, and would like to see more of these partnerships taking place, with both small and large charity shop chains."
Marks & Spencer is launching an integrated campaign around the shwopping initiative, including TV, print, online, social and in-store merchandising, with actress Joanna Lumley, known to U.S. audiences for her work in various film roles in the Pink Panther series, Shirley Valentine and the British sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, as the campaign's spokespeople.
"We're asking people to open their hearts, their minds and their wardrobes. Remember, we used to just throw away plastic bottles. Now, we recycle them without even thinking about it. We need to do the same with clothing," said Ms. Lumley.