Apparel retailer offers online recycling

[David]

Just an article I thought might interest you guys

Asos, the web-based fashion retailer, is to launch an online
market-place that will allow its customers to trade their unwanted
clothes on its site.

As well as enabling its customers to recycle their wardrobes, Asos says
the new feature will make for more environmentally friendly shopping.

Asos is the UK’s largest independent online fashion retailer offering
around 25,000 branded and own label fashion lines across the
womenswear, menswear, footwear, accessories, jewellery and beauty
sectors. Its main target market is the 16-34 year old bracket and,
attracting over 7.5 million unique visitors a month, the potential
volume of recycled clothes available could divert thousands of items
from ending up in landfill.

As well as individual customers, the recycling market-place will be
open to independent retailers who will go through a vetting process to
check their credibility. Under the terms of the scheme, Asos will not
allow individuals to re-sell luxury goods to avoid any counterfeiting
issues. The company will also employ security checks to protect
customers and prices will be fixed. “We have 7.5 million fashion-loving
customers coming to the Asos website every month and I want them to be
able to recycle their wardrobes among each other,” Asos chief executive
Nick Robertson told the UK’s Financial Times.

According to a report by Verdict, the percentage of clothing bought
online in the UK is expected to double in the next three to four years,
from 5.7% at the end of 2008 to over 11% by 2013. The latest statistics
suggest that one million tonnes of clothing in the UK is destined for
landfill sites each year.