Penneys launches clothes takeback scheme in store
People can now take along unwanted clothes for re-use or recycling to the Penneys' store in Navan.
Navan's Penneys store is now accepting old and pre-loved clothes as part of a new clothes and textile recycling scheme launched by the retailer across its 36 stores yesterday.
The scheme aims to make it more convenient for people to donate their pre-loved clothes and textiles and help give them a second life.
New research published by Penneys into Irish consumers’ recycling behaviour found that a lack of drop off locations is a barrier, with the vast majority more likely to recycle clothing and footwear if they could do so in a store.
It also showed that Irish consumers are still unsure about the do’s and don’ts of recycling, with almost a quarter (23 per cent) unaware that clothing and footwear can be recycled at all. In addition, over half (51 per cent) admitted they throw out old clothes that can’t be re-worn, while 91 per cent of people said they do recycle clothing and footwear that can be re-worn.
The Penneys Textile Takeback scheme accepts clothing, footwear, bags and some textiles such as towels and bedsheets, from any brand in any condition via the new collection boxes in stores. These are then collected, sorted and either re-used, recycled or repurposed.
Damien O’Neill, Head of Sales at Penneys, said: “We’ve recently launched our bold new ambition to become a circular and more sustainable business: making it easier for customers to donate or recycle their pre-loved clothes is an important part of this.
" We want to help educate our customers and bring them on this journey with this and part of this is understanding what they think today about recycling old clothes. While it was very encouraging to see how many people already donate their pre-loved clothes and footwear, we’ve learned that there is still more to do to help educate customers about what can be recycled and where.
" Reducing fashion waste, alongside our commitment that all our clothes will be made from recycled or more sustainably sourced materials by 2030 and how we are working to give our clothes a longer life are all important parts of how we are becoming a more circular business.”
The scheme has also launched in Germany and Austria and follows its successful launch in the UK.
Penneys' recyling partner in the scheme is Yellow Octopus, who operates its UK scheme. It has a ‘no landfill’ policy across the 21 countries it operates in, diverting around one million garments from landfill every month. It aims for as many donations as possible to be worn again, with the remainder being repurposed into new products such as insulation, toy stuffing and mattress fillers.
Jack Ostrowski, CEO of Yellow Octopus Group, commented: “We are thrilled to continue our collaboration with Penneys and assist in its effort to drive down textile waste and divert fashion goods from going to landfill. It is important for the entire fashion industry to transition from a linear to circular business model."
All profits from the scheme will go to UNICEF, one of Primark’s global charity partners.