Zara, the fashion retailer owned by Spain's Inditex SA, is entering the pre-owned market, allowing shoppers to resell, repair or donate clothing in an attempt to reduce its carbon footprint.
Launching on November 3, 2022, the new service will be the fashion chain’s first steps into resale or repair.
Shoppers will be able to book repairs and donate unwanted items online or in store, as well as post unwanted Zara purchases online for sale.
At the moment, the “platform is exclusively conceived as a tool to help customers extend their lifetime of their clothing and take a more circular approach,” the retailer said.
Clothing retailers are increasingly looking at ways to cut their carbon footprint, taking different approaches to the issue.
John Lewis launched a ‘dress for hire’ service after partnering with Hurr, the clothing and accessories rental business.
H&M have been running a similar service since 2013, where customers can return any clothes in any condition for £5, an initiative it says is to “prevent customers’ unwanted clothes from going to landfill.”
However, efforts to cut back emissions and carbon footprints is not industry-wide.
Shein, the Chinese fashion giant, has received criticism in the past for sending returns straight to a landfill as putting them back into circulation is far more costly.